Case Management in Occupational Rehabilitation: Would the Real Case Manager Please Stand Up?

Key stakeholders (injured workers, rehabilitation co-ordinators, rehabilitation providers, treating doctors and insurers) in the occupational rehabilitation process were interviewed to gain their perspective concerning the degree to which case management was viewed as the organising principle of post-injury management and to whom this role was most frequently assigned. Findings indicated that there were differences in stakeholder perceptions about who should fill this role for the injured worker, with the majority of each group claiming case management as their proper role. In contrast, 35% of the injured workers interviewed stated that they either did not have a case manager or that they case managed themselves. Although it was argued that rehabilitation coordinators are suitably placed to act as case managers, they were nominated least by injured workers. Three vignettes of successful case management were presented and recommendations for policy and practice were made.