Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this article is to explore primary roles, training, competencies, and qualifications of a case manager in the Canadian health care industry and how to improve case management practice in Canada.
Primary Practice Setting: Case managers' primary practice setting investigated in this article is the Canadian health care industry, which includes clinics, hospitals, continuing care, short-term and long-term care facilities, as well as palliative and end-of-life care settings.
Conclusion: The main role of case managers is to help clients meet their goals. Assessment, monitoring, interpersonal communication, and collaboration are essential roles and competencies of case managers. Many case managers come from regulated health care professions and have prior years of professional experience, and many of them come from a nursing profession. This article is a narrative review based on the current literature about case managers' roles, training, and competencies in the Canadian health care industry and how to improve Canadian case management practice. Certification and standardization of case managers in Canada are needed to better understand the roles, training, and qualifications of case managers in the Canadian health care industry.
Implications for Case Management Practice: Case managers require skills in assessment, monitoring, cultural competency, interpersonal communication, collaboration, coordinating, and advocating for resources and services to meet clients' goals in the health care industry. Case managers must also consider how to combat and address other social determinants of health such as a client's social economic status, literacy, income, employment, and working conditions that influence client's health. Ongoing professional development for case managers is fundamental in achieving effective case management practice. Finally, it is important to have case management certification in Canada in order to better understand case manager's roles and qualifications in the Canadian health care industry.