LAUSR

OBJECTIVE To describe the characteristics of case management in terms of population served, interventions, use of services and outcomes such as mortality, readmissions, pressure ulcers, falls, drug problems and institutionalization. METHOD Follow-up study of a cohort, from the RANGECOM Multicentric Registry of Andalusia. The study population were patients included in the case management services of Health Centres and their family caregivers. RESULTS Data from 835 patients with a mean age of 76.8years (SD:12.1), 50.24% women, are presented. They had an important comorbidity (Charlson 3.1, SD:2.5) and high dependence (Barthel 37.5, SD:31.4). Sixty-two point two percent of the interventions deployed by the case managers were grouped into three domains: behavioural (26.0%), health system (20.2%) and safety (14.1%). Mortality was 34.4% and hospital admissions 38.1%. Patients with more hospital readmissions had more visits to the Emergency Department (OR:1.41; 95%CI: 1.22-1.63), more telephone interventions by case managers (OR:1.12; 95%CI: 1.02-1.24) and imaging tests (OR:1.37; 95%CI: 1.17-1.60), together with greater caregiver burden (OR:1.31; 95%CI: 1.08-1.59), the presence of medical devices at home (OR:1.69; 95%CI: 1.00-2.87) and received less "Case Management" intervention. CONCLUSIONS The patients who absorb the demand of case management nurses present high complexity, for which they deploy behavioural interventions, navigation through the health system and clinical safety.