Trauma case management: a role for the advanced practice nurse.

The care of a critically ill trauma patient is complex and requires the expertise and skill of many healthcare providers. Delays in injury identification and the development of a treatment plan without considering comorbid conditions impede the patient's resuscitation and recovery from the acute injury, delay the rehabilitative phase, and increase the costs. This article will discuss a strategy using an advanced practice nurse as a case manager to assist in prompt identification of the patients' pathologic and physiologic changes and psychosocial and rehabilitative needs and to orchestrate a comprehensive and consistent plan through the continuum of care.