Case management method applied to older adults in the primary care centres in Burjassot (Valencian Region, Spain)

This research determines if the case management for health primary care means changes in: (a) frequency of use of social and health care resources, (b) number of patients visiting a doctor or social worker in the primary care centre, and visits that these professionals receive, (c) number of drugs consumed, (d) urgent hospital admittances which did not need significant intervention and (e) patients’ and caregivers’ satisfaction towards the social and health care resources received. The data were gathered with a questionnaire elaborated by the Administration and supervised by researchers. One hundred and fifty-two older dependent patients receiving home care in 2004, in a health department of the Valencia Region (Spain) collaborated. Results show: (a) Increase in the use of combined health and social resources in the intervention group; (b) number of patients visiting a practitioner or a social worker is lower in the intervention group, with a significant difference in both cases; (c) 33.3% of the patients in the intervention group versus 60.0% in the control group were admitted by the emergency room service for treatment that did not require surgery, but the difference is not significant; (d) 55.5% of these patients were very much satisfied with the care received and the benefits of the health care resources they had used versus 29.4% in the control group, showing a significant difference, 56.5% of the informal caregivers of patients in the intervention group were satisfied with the health care resources received by their family members, against 31.9% in control group.