Case management and community engagement models

Key take-home messages

• Very few case management, community capacity building or community development models were found specific to people living with or at-risk of HIV. None were found specific to people living with Hepatitis C, although ‘substance users’ were often mentioned in the literature.
• Although there is an abundance of literature on a wide variety of models of case management, there are few studies of case management that use reliable evaluation outcome measures of client health. Furthermore, accurate measures often depend on worker fidelity to implementing the program based on guidelines, which is often inconsistent.
• Retention in case management appears to be crucial and can be influenced by client-case manager relationships as well as the comprehensiveness and flexibility of the program.
• Community capacity-building is a ground-up approach to community health and needs a facilitator, however the community itself must recognize that there is an issue and have the desire to change.
• Case managers are the people responsible for linking to community support and helping the client. They can recognize the need for more services, however they are generally not in a position to develop community capacity.

• Population(s)
  • People who use drugs
  • General HIV+ population
• Health Systems
  • Delivery arrangements