An Australian survey of the clinical practice patterns of case management for clients with Brain injury

Aim: To investigate the characteristics of Australian organisations providing case management to individuals who have acquired brain injury, and to determine the methods of case management service delivery including professional development and evaluation of outcomes. Method: An anonymous 23-item web-based survey was used. Respondents were case managers who deliver services to adults and/or children with brain injuries. A snowball sampling method was used to recruit respondents from around Australia. Findings: Fifty-one case managers completed the survey. Respondents were from a wide range of professions, the largest group being occupational therapy. The majority of respondents were based in metropolitan areas, were employed within the public health system and were based in the community. Respondents reported that the main determinant for clients receiving case management was the severity of the brain injury followed by complex family needs. Variations in practice and a lack of consistency in outcome measurement, goal setting and professional development were noted. Discussion: This study provides an overview of characteristics of case management practices for people with acquired brain injury (ABI). Identifying roles and responsibilities of case managers is the first step to developing future research designs, which determine the effectiveness of case management.