Research Methodology for Life Care Planners

Why are we as clinical practitioners, interested in research aimed at validating the process of Life Care Planning? There are multiple answers. Through research we can improve the process, raise standards, help answer ethical question and resolve ethical dilemmas. Perhaps most importantly we protect the patient’s access to life enhancing care through this very useful Case Management tool. Ensuring the future of Life Care Planning is essential to protecting the catastrophically injured patient’s access to quality of life enhancing care through visionary case management practices. In light of the recent challenges presented by the Daubert rulings, the future of Life Care Planning as a forensic tool is dependent upon validating the Life Care Planning process in the eyes of the court (Countiss & Deutsch, 2002). We can do this through definitive research attesting to consistent methodology employed by Life Care Planning professionals that is reliable, valid and relevant to the individual patient’s case. Because we intend to objectively validate the utility of Life Care Planning as a tool in case management, let’s first consider the facets of reliability that are prerequisite11c to validation of Life Care Planning.