The Development of a Caseload Weighting Tool

Abstract

Workload measurement systems do not provide a mechanism for evaluating the complexity of a caseload. The key findings of a review of the literature showed that a caseload weighting tool would assist the manager in equitable caseload distribution, based on an objective measurement of their complexity or “weight.”

Research shows that the measurement of the psychosocial acuity or severity of the case is the best indicator of the complexity of a case. The PIE (Person-in-Environment) Classification System formed the basis for the development of a caseload weighting tool. The development and application of the tool are described in this article.

Key Words:

• Caseload weight
• heavy cases
• caseload equity
• psychosocial acuity
• data analysis