Nurse-led case management for ambulatory complex patients in general health care: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to summarize the available literature on the effectiveness of ambulatory nurse-led case management for complex patients in general health care.

METHOD: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, and Cinahl. We included randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, controlled before/after study, and time series studies; identified references were screened by two reviewers. Two reviewers rated the quality of each article. Data extracted from the selected publications included design, characteristics of the participants, the intervention, type of outcome measures, and results.

RESULTS: We identified 10 relevant publications. Nine studies used readmission rate as primary outcome. Fewer studies investigated duration of hospital readmissions, emergency department (ED) visits, functional status, quality of life, or patient satisfaction. In general, results with regard to the effectiveness of case management were conflicting.

CONCLUSION: There is moderate evidence that case management has a positive effect on patient satisfaction and no effect on ED visits. It was not possible to draw firm conclusions on the other outcomes.