Nursing care management or nursing case management? A scoping review to identify models, roles, and advantages.

backgroundCare coordination is increasingly essential for addressing complex health needs across inpatient and outpatient settings. However, nursing care management and nursing case management are frequently used interchangeably, resulting in conceptual ambiguity and challenges in comparing outcomes across studies. PURPOSE: To map and synthesize the literature on nursing care management and nursing case management; clarify professional roles and core functions; and summarize associated clinical, organizational, and economic outcomes in adult care pathways.

methodsA scoping review was conducted following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Searches across multiple databases identified studies involving adult inpatients and outpatients receiving nursing care or case management interventions. Data from 29 included studies were charted and synthesized narratively.

resultsBoth roles shared key components, including assessment, care planning, education, coordination, and follow-up. Interventions were associated with improved self-management, quality of life, patient experience, and continuity of care, as well as reduced emergency department use and hospital readmissions. Evidence predominantly focused on nursing case management, with fewer studies explicitly addressing nursing care management.

conclusionsDespite demonstrated benefits, persistent variability in definitions, role delineation, outcome measures, and economic evaluation limits comparability. Greater standardization of roles, caseloads, governance, outcome indicators, and cost assessment is needed to strengthen implementation, evaluation, and scalability of nursing care and case management models.