• Catherine Hudon, Maud-Christine Chouinard, Kris Aubrey-Bassler, Nazeem Muhajarine, Fred Burge, Paula Louise Bush, Alya Danish, Vivian R Ramsden, France Légaré, Line Guénette, Paul Morin, Mireille Lambert, Fiona Fick, Olivia Cleary, Véronique Sabourin, Mike Warren, and Pierre Pluye.
• Département de Médecine de Famille et de Méde-cine d'Urgence, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada (C.H.); Département des Sciences de la Santé, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Saguenay, Québec, Canada, (M.C.C.); Memorial University, Primary Healthcare Research Unit, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada (K.A.B., O.C.); Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (N.M.); Dalhousie University, Department of Family Medicine, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (F.B.); Département de Médecine de Famille, Univer-sité McGill, Montréal, Québec, Canada (P.L.B., P.P.); Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé, Université de Sherbrooke, Longueuil, Québec, Canada (A.D.); Department of Academic Family Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (V.R.R.); Département de Médecine Familiale et de Médecine d'Urgence, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada (F.L.); Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada (L.G.); École de Travail Social, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada (P.M.); Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Saguenay, Québec, Canada (M.L.); Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (F.F.); Quebec-SPOR SUPPORT Unit, Qué-bec, Québec, Canada (V.S.); Newfoundland and Labrador-SPOR SUPPORT Unit, Saint John's Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada (M.W.) catherine.hudon@usherbrooke.ca.
• Ann Fam Med. 2020 May 1; 18 (3): 218226218-226.

PurposeCase management (CM) is a promising intervention for frequent users of health care services. Our research question was how and under what circumstances does CM in primary care work to improve outcomes among frequent users with chronic conditions?MethodsWe conducted a realist synthesis, searching MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, and PsycINFO (1996 to September 2017) for articles meeting the following criteria: (1) population: adult frequent users with chronic disease, (2) intervention: CM in a primary care setting with a postintervention evaluation, and (3) primary outcomes: integration of services, health care system use, cost, and patient outcome measures. Academic and gray literature were evaluated for relevance and robustness. Independent reviewers extracted data to identify context, mechanism, and outcome (CMO) configurations. Analysis of CMO configurations allowed for the modification of an initial program theory toward a refined program theory.ResultsOf the 9,295 records retrieved, 21 peer-reviewed articles and an additional 89 documents were retained. We evaluated 19 CM interventions and identified 11 CMO configurations. The development of a trusting relationship fostering patient and clinician engagement in the CM intervention was recurrent in many CMO configurations.ConclusionOur refined program theory proposes that in the context of easy access to an experienced and trusted case manager who provides comprehensive care while maintaining positive interactions with patients, the development of this relationship fosters the engagement of both individuals and yields positive outcomes when the following mechanisms are triggered: patients and clinicians feel supported, respected, accepted, engaged, and committed; and patients feel less anxious, more secure, and empowered to self-manage.© 2020 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.

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