Service coordination for frail elderly individuals: an analysis of case management practices in Québec.

The objective of this article is to understand coordination as it unfolds in case management practices in the context of integrated care networks devoted to frail elderly individuals. More specifically, my goal is to describe practical coordination processes. I conducted a qualitative exploratory study using an embedded case study design. My research covers three Health and Social Services Centres in Québec. I observed that case management is more frequently justified by a situation in which home care is precarious than by the intensity and multidimensionality present in a situation. In such instances, case management intervenes through a standby mode.