Case managers and the outcomes management process: a case study.

The relationship established between patients and clinicians is the core of any outcomes-management process. This is particularly true in the complex and evolving patient-care situations exemplified in this case study. The process of managing outcomes involves the clinical reasoning process of assessing the situation, identifying goals, developing and implementing interventions, evaluating the results of the interventions, and making revisions as needed. At each step of the process, skilled and empathic communication, negotiation, and advocacy are needed to reach outcomes that are truly patient oriented. The case study presented in this article shows the intricacies of this process.