Case Managers’ Perceptions of Effective Interventions

Case managers (CM) identify patients with high emergency department (ED) utilization and barriers to healthcare services. CM interventions need to be evaluated related to high ED utilization, identification of effective interventions, and improving patients’ self-management skills. Current literature supports the review and implementation of identified CM interventions to reduce non-emergent ED utilization, and improved patients’ health literacy, and self-management abilities. There is a lack in research related to CM perceptions’ of effective interventions to reduce ED utilization. The purpose of this study was to examine CM perceptions’ of patients’ low health literacy and self-management skills, identify barriers to self-care, and identify CM interventions to reduce ED utilization. This descriptive quantitative study design utilized the Preventive Medicine Attitudes and Activities Questionnaire (PMAAQ) survey tool to examine CM perceptions’ of effective interventions on a series of patient health promotion activities. Sample size was 31 CMs from ambulatory and inpatient CM departments. Participants’ responses reflected a lack of impact on changing patients’ lifestyle behaviors and improving patients’ self-management skills. Majority (49%) of the participants’ rated the patients’ lack appropriate understanding when utilizing health services, low health literacy, and lack understanding the importance of health promotion as very significant barriers. CMs identified time and patients’ lack of understanding when utilizing health care services as the greatest barrier to assisting patients. CM interventions need to be examined in regard to identified barriers to care. Healthcare systems should promote more patient education on the appropriate utilization of services