ABSTRACT
The components of the nursing process, a framework for providing care, include assessment, nursing diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation to ensure a systematic approach for delivering care. These core competencies when applied to the practice of case management involve a collaborative process that assesses, plans, implements, coordinates, monitors, and evaluates the options and services required to meet an individual’s health needs, using communications and available resources to promote quality, cost-effective outcomes (CMSA, 1995). Because of their clinical assessment skills, multidisciplinary communication background, and experience to anticipate and coordinate needed treatment, nurses have remained an invaluable resource to the field of case management. Case management for the individuals with catastrophic injury or chronic illness involves a diagnosis with complex medical and psychosocial issues. Life care planning was developed to serve as a tool to facilitate the practice of complex health care and catastrophic injury case management by providing a consistent methodology for analyzing the complex needs dictated by the onset of the disability (Weed & Riddick, 1992). Today effective case management and life care planning both rely on the principles of the nursing process to create an integrated continuum with measurable outcomes.
