Case managers’ experiences of their everyday practice

Abstract

Introduction.– Today, there is an interest in how Case Management (CM) should be designed to best suit the complex needs of the older people with multi-morbidity. Current research on CM has mainly focused on health care costs and consumption, but the results have been inconsistent and ranging from positive outcomes to no effect. To improve CM, there is need to investigate what mechanisms are important for a successful intervention. To advance this knowledge, there is a necessity for studies investigating the experiences of those practicing CM i.e. Case Managers. There might be unknown factors or interpersonal factors that can contribute to a CM intervention's success or failure. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the Case Managers’ experiences of their everyday practice. Methods.– The study design was qualitative and descriptive utilizing an ethnographic approach, consisting of participant observations, a focus group interview and individual interviews with nine Case Managers conducted during 2012/2013. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and then subjected to content analysis. Results.– Three main themes described Case Managers’ experience of their everyday practice: navigating the older person, working to improve the health care system and being the older persons advocate. Conclusions.– Findings from this study sheds light on the complexity of CM for older people with multi-morbidity, from the experiences of Case Managers. These findings could help in the development of CM models designed for older people with complex health needs.