Which of the following best defines Case Management?

Case management is primarily focused on the coordination of care for patients throughout the healthcare system. This role involves assessing patient needs, developing individualized care plans, and facilitating access to appropriate services and resources, ensuring that patients receive comprehensive and continuous care. The essence of case management lies in coordinating various aspects of patient care, including communication between providers, patient education, and community resources, to achieve optimal health outcomes.

While providing direct patient care, conducting medical research, and scheduling appointments are important roles within the healthcare system, they do not encapsulate the broader responsibility of case management. Direct patient care is more focused on hands-on treatment rather than the overarching coordination of services. Conducting medical research involves studying and analyzing health data, which does not directly relate to managing a patient's care journey. Scheduling appointments, while beneficial for patient access, is merely one component of the comprehensive care coordination that case management performs. Thus, coordination of care accurately defines the overarching responsibility and purpose of case management in nursing and healthcare.