• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

CMW Sneak Peek: Improving nurse and case manager relations

Case Management Weekly, October 29, 2008

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Case Management Weekly!

As a case manager, your job inevitably involves working with a variety of people each day to provide the best possible outcomes for the patient and the facility. Case Management Monthly discusses the unique relationship between nurses and case managers from the perspectives of Peter Moran, RN, C, BSN, MS, CCM, an ED case manager at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and Diane Ceravolo, RN, MS, the director of nursing practice at Kaleida Health in Buffalo, NY.

Q. Why do you think there is strain on the relationship between case managers and nurses?

A. PM: Sometimes, people don’t see it as a collaborative relationship. The case manager frequently talks about the care plans and how to move them along. I think that within the nursing profession, there sometimes isn’t a realization of the cost of care.

DC: I think we have the same goal: patient care and safety. If strain on that relationship exists, it’s because people forget what the focus is. It comes back to how we communicate. If we asked the nurse on the floor, “What is your primary role?” he or she would say, “Patient advocate.” If we ask the case manager, he or she would say the same thing. If there is strain, it’s because we forget our focus and, consequently, are unable to effectively handle conflict. We shouldn’t see conflict as a bad thing, but simply part of presenting different perspectives and ultimately delivering the most effective care.

Check out the October 2008 issue of Case Management Monthly to get the full story, and discover all the benefits of being a Case Management Monthly subscriber!

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Case Management Weekly!

• Comment
• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive

Comments