[Characteristics of case management programs and their potential for patient empowerment].
OBJECTIVE
Different types of case management programs have been increasingly developed for health care systems. This study, therefore, aimed to identify similarities and differences of case management programs, to estimate their shaping with special emphasis on patient empowerment, and to develop an instrument for their differentiation.


METHODS
During an interdisciplinary seminar for students, eight different case management programs were selected and analyzed.


RESULTS
Five characteristics of case management programs were identified: type of case, extent of functions, players involved, limits of availability and need for resources. The programs were categorized into information-, provider-, disease- or patient centred. With these characteristics the selected programs could be exactly described and their potential for patient empowerment could be assessed.


CONCLUSIONS
This newly developed tool for describing case management programs allows for their sufficient differentiation. The potential for patient empowerment apparently is most prominent in patient centred programs.
Grün
Oskar
O
Institut für Organisation und Materialwirtschaft, Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Wien, Austria.
Maier
Manfred
M
D001317:Austria; D019090:Case Management / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D017046:Cost Savings; D019468:Disease Management; D005194:Family Practice; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000592:standards; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations