Emergency Department Case Management: Strategies for Creating and Sustaining a Successful Program

From The Critics

Reviewer: Deborah Anne Kanger, BSN(Methodist Healthcare)
Description: This book uses a bulleted format and case studies to explain and demonstrate the benefits of using case management in a hospital emergency department. The bulleted format is an excellent way to present information concisely and the case studies provide useful illustrations of the concepts.
Purpose: The purpose, according to the authors, is to provide guidance and rationale for having case management in a hospital emergency department. The patients, patience, and partnerships that are formed in the emergency department are a unique hospital experience which can be very daunting for the patient and family. The book makes a very good case for all three concepts.
Audience: This is a good reference for staff, colleagues, and physicians. Although students would benefit using it as a resource in a discussion about case management models, this book is more for administrators/staff who are trying to find rationales for adding case management to their staff mix and want details about the benefits to the hospital.
Features: First, models of case management are covered, then the details on how to structure an emergency department case management model. Partnerships involved in this model are discussed, which is a good way to determine the benefits of using this model. The book also covers how to develop strategies for starting an emergency department case management model and discusses observation status. The book provides good suggestions for strengthening an existing program. Pediatric and psychiatric populations are covered and case studies about different patient populations and scenarios are provided, which are excellent learning tools.
Assessment: I have already referenced this book as a source of information for a discussion about the importance of a case management presence in the emergency department. I keep it on my bookshelf and will continue to use it. This is the only book I know of that specifically discusses the emergency department case management model in this much detail.