From: What is case management in palliative care? An expert panel study
 | Aims of case management, sent to the expert panel at start of round 1 | Dimensions of continuity of care |
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1 | Delivery and/or coordination of care is aimed at quality of life and death (not at curing the patient) | Â |
2 | Care is longitudinal; it lasts for a minimum of two weeks and lasts as long as necessary | Continuity of care has a temporal dimension, it is longitudinal in nature; the patient’s treatment parallels his or her progress even though the individual health care provider, specific treatment modalities, or specific site of care may change. Episodes are consecutive and related |
3 | Care is individual: it is tailored to the individual needs of the patient | Continuity of care has an individual dimension, the care is planned with and for the patient and family with consideration for their specific needs |
4 | Care is flexible; it is adjusted to the pace of the patient. This means for example that the frequency of contacts can vary over time | Continuity of care is characterized by flexibility. A flexible service system relieves the patient of pressures that may be placed on him or her to exhibit ‘progress’ or to move ‘forward’ along a continuum. The flow in services should correspond to changes in the patient’s circumstances and needs |
5 | The relationship with the patient is central in care; the patient experiences care as familiar and close | Continuity of care has a relationship dimension, either in contacts with an individual provider or in an ‘institutional alliance’ in which the patient develops closeness with more than one service provider at a time. The patient is able to rely, over time, on having associations with a person or persons who are interested in him or her and who respond to him or her on a personal level |
6 | Care is comprehensive; the patient can receive a diverse array of care and support according to needs and wishes | Continuity of care as a cross-sectional dimension; it is comprehensive in a sense that it consists of a variety of services related to the many needs of the patient. It has a distinctly interdisciplinary quality. |
7 | Care is characterised by communication; between the case manager and the patient and between the case manager and other care providers communication is clear and sufficient | Continuity of care has a dimension of communication, both between the patient and service providers and among the various service providers involved in the care. One aspect of this is continuity in information |
8 | Care is accessible; the case manager can be reached and care is low-threshold and financially accessible | Continuity of care is characterized by accessibility, the patient will be able to reach the service system when she/he needs it and in a way in which she/he can handle, both psychologically and financially. The patient does not experience barriers to service delivery, whether they be of a physical, psychological, or economic nature. Implicit in this dimension is the patient’s access to 24-hour crisis intervention |
9 | Care is delivered at home or where the patient is staying | Â |