A framework for oncology social work services scope of practice in Malaysia’s public healthcare system: Insights from practitioners

Oncology social work stands as a critical pillar in healthcare services, especially with the surging incidence of cancer cases worldwide. This paper meticulously assesses the current state of oncology social work services in government healthcare facilities in Malaysia in response to the escalating local cancer cases. By using the five standards of oncology social work services (OSWS) outlined by the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW), including qualifications, services to patients and families, services to institutions and agencies, services to the community, and services to the profession, as benchmarks, it underscores the indispensable need for OSWS in healthcare institutions. Through a comprehensive review of global research on OSWS development, this paper provides a compelling rationale for the vital components that advocate for the integration of OSWS in Malaysia's government healthcare facilities. This data catalyses the implementation of robust oncology social work services within Malaysia's government healthcare system.

As the Association of Oncology Social Work celebrates its 25th year, we pause to reflect on the many historical threads that contributed to its development and hear from each of the presidents who helped create the organization, as we know it today. Set within hospitals, medical social work was born in the early 20th century. In the 1940s medical social work became necessary for hospital accreditation. Two additional historical shifts, one in medical improvements in treating cancer, the other a shift to a consumer-oriented American Cancer Society, contributed to the push for a greater role for the federal government in funding cancer research. Oncology social work came to full blossom in the 1970s, a result of the physicians’ need for a member of the health care team who understood cancer, its treatment, and the patient's need to address his or her psychosocial needs resulting from cancer. Today, oncology social work is a fully developed profession with a national organization providing education and support to oncology social workers’ in their use of psychosocial interventions and research in behalf of cancer patients and their families.

Purpose Few studies have examined the practices of U.S. oncology social workers since the implementation of distress screening. This study presents data about oncology social work practice behaviors, including participation in distress screening and interdisciplinary team integration. Design Using a cross-sectional survey design, Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) members were invited to complete the anonymous web-based survey between June and September 2019. Sample AOSW members (N = 1116) were invited through email and listserv posts to participate in the survey with 533 (47.8%) responding. Methods A quantitative on-line survey was used to investigate demographics, distress screening roles and other practice behaviors. Descriptive analyses were conducted on the data. Results Respondents engaged in a range of practice behaviors consistent with the Standards and Scope of Practice published by AOSW, primarily engaging in patient-focused work. They reported viewing their role as integrated with the interdisciplinary team. Respondents were highly involved in distress screening processes, primarily receiving referrals from distress screening but also collecting/reviewing screening results and referring patients to other providers based on those results. Implications for Psychosocial Providers Knowledge about the ways that oncology social workers enact their role across settings and locations could be useful to those developing effective and integrated psychosocial oncology programs, especially distress screening protocols. Specific knowledge about the practice behaviors of oncology social workers in the U.S. may also help to delineate the role from the work of other interdisciplinary oncology team members.

Oncology social work researchers have made (and continue to make) important contributions to the knowledge base that supports the profession. This article discusses the profession of oncology social work, its roots in medical social work in the United States, the development of cancer treatment, and the body of research that informs its art and practice. Oncology social work research is placed in the broader contexts of the social work profession, the field of oncology, and the specific field of oncology social work. Through the decades, the profession of oncology social work has grown, gained stability and legitimacy. Oncology social work itself, along with oncology social work research, have made rapid strides in the 21st century and accelerating in impact and relevance. Oncology social work research is stronger now than ever. Recent developments, such as the addition of a research institute at the annual AOSW conference and initiatives to establish a “practice-based research network” are expanding capacity in the field. Oncology social work researchers bring a unique perspective to their research. Social work’s patient-centered perspective is reflected in research that explores the cancer experience of patients and family members and leads to new interventions based on that experience. Social work’s focus on human development over the life course results in research that reflects a developmental framework or focuses on specific age groups, such as children, adolescents, young adults, or the elderly. Social work’s conceptual model of “Person-in-Environment” is reflected in research on cancer patients in the context of their interpersonal relationships. The values of social justice and cultural competence are reflected in research on health disparities, minority populations, and multicultural perspectives. Finally, the field of oncology social work itself has been the focus of recent research on distress screening and its implementation. In the 21st century, oncology social work research stands in a pivotal position. Although this type of research is now widely recognized as important, it is still a challenge to access the level of support from major funders of cancer research required to establish and reinforce a strong and vibrant knowledge base for the profession.

This study was conducted to identify the influence of the burden of care on the quality-of-life dimensions and examine the role of self-control as a mediator on the burden of care and the quality-of-life dimensions among primary caregivers of cancer patients who are in the terminal phase. This cross-sectional study involves 97 primary caregivers of terminal-phase cancer patients who were selected using purposeful sampling. The Adult Carer Quality of Life Questionnaire (AC-QoL), Zarit Burden Interview (J-ZBI-8), and Pearlin’s Sense of Mastery questionnaires were used in this study. Based on data analysis using Smart-PLS-Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) the direct analysis showed that subscale in care load, that is role strain had a significant negative influence on the quality of life in terms of support for caring, caring stress, personal growth, and the ability to care. Meanwhile, the subscale under the burden of care, that is personal strain, had a significant negative influence on the quality of life in terms of caring stress. Additionally, the analysis of indirect relationships revealed that self-control was found not to act as a mediator in the relationship between burden, caring stress and quality of life of the primary caregiver. This study has implications for the family of caregivers who experience the burden of care, especially in terms of role strain and personal strain, thus affecting several dimensions of their quality of life. Thus, in order to improve the quality of life among the primary caregivers of those cancer patients at the terminal stage, social workers in the helping profession field need to implement some appropriate approaches, methods, and techniques that will help to give sufficient mental, emotional, social and family support among the caregivers.

ExCEL in Social Work: Excellence in Cancer Education & Leadership was a multi-year National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded grant for the development and implementation of an innovative educational program for oncology social workers. The program's curriculum focused upon six core competencies of psychosocial-spiritual support necessary to meet the standard of care recommended by the 2008 Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report: Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs. The curriculum was delivered through a collaborative partnership between the City of Hope National Medical Center and the two leading professional organizations devoted exclusively to representing oncology social workers--the Association of Oncology Social Work and the Association of Pediatric Oncology Social Workers. Initial findings support the feasibility and acceptability of this tailored leadership skills-building program for participating oncology social workers.

Our Unified Scope and Standards of Practice

Background/Purpose There is much interest in screening for and treating psychosocial distress in cancer patients; however, little is known about if and how psychosocial services are provided for patients demonstrating significant levels of distress. Oncology social workers (OSWs) are the primary providers of psychosocial care for cancer patients and their families, yet there is no widely-used and empirically-validated instrument that captures the range of interventions provided by OSWs. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of the Oncology Social Work Intervention Index (OSWii), designed to measure interventions provided by OSWs, and the results of testing the instrument. Methods We conducted a content analysis of data collected by the Association of Oncology Social Work’s Project to Assure Quality Cancer Care (APAQCC). We analyzed 3,194 responses from an open-ended question that described social work interventions following a distress screen. Five investigators coded the data in an iterative process to enhance instrument validity. The resulting instrument measuring OSWii was piloted with 38 oncology social workers across 156 individual cases. Results OSWs who piloted the OSWii spent a majority of time (72%) engaging in clinical interventions. The user assessment revealed that data entry was rapid, the instrument was easy to use, and the content was relevant to the cancer treatment setting. Conclusions and Implications Using a standardized instrument that reflects OSWs’ clinical interventions is critical for researchers to examine the impact of psychosocial interventions on patient outcomes. This index may also advance the translation of scientific findings into patient-centered psychosocial cancer care. This pilot test suggests that the OSWii is both scalable and useful.

This paper demonstrates the essential nature of oncology social work and the critical role that oncology social workers (OSWs) play in the achievement of high-quality cancer care that improves patient outcomes, contains cost, advances population health, reduces provider burn-out among healthcare providers, and does it in a manner that addresses disparities and achieves equity. To this end, this paper’s purpose is two-fold: (1) to review and demonstrate OSW contributions to the advancement of comprehensive cancer care over the last 15 years, and (2) to consider next steps for the Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) and the Oncology Social Work profession to achieve its mission and calling. To enhance the viability and security of OSWs and the professional organizations that support them, this report summarizes a breadth and depth of work and includes recommendations for the profession.

ABSTRACTIn 2014, the Association for Oncology Social Work (AOSW) established A Project to Assure Quality Cancer Care (APAQCC), a group of oncology social workers representing sixty-five Commission on Cancer (CoC)-accredited cancer programs across the US (including two in Canada). Its aims were (1) to examine the capacity of cancer programs to provide quality psychosocial support services, and (2) to evaluate the implementation of distress screening. The purpose of this paper is to describe how this collaborative research program was created and implemented under the auspices of AOSW, and to report on its impact on the oncology social workers who participated.

Health and Social Care Delivery Research (HSDR) Programme is part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). As such, it aims to contribute to the NIHR's mission of improving the health and wealth of the nation by funding evaluative research projects that have the potential to improve the quality, accessibility and organisation of health and social care services by providing useful outputs for decision-makers, staff, service users, academic, and public audiences. More information about the programme can be found on the NIHR website. A logic model is a visual way of showing how an activity, programme or intervention is expected to work and bring about the benefits and changes it intends to achieve. By summarising the core elements, a logic model can be used to support programme planning, implementation, and evaluation. NIHR logic models presentin a linear flow diagramthe key activities, outputs, outcomes and impacts of each funding programme as a series of logical steps.

An introduction: In Belarus, the need for the development of integrated medical and social care is significantly increased due to the population aging, the growth of non-infectious morbidity. Beneficiaries of medical and social services are elderly lonely people over 75 and with disabilities. 14% are citizens aged 65 years and older, about 735,000 lonely and living alone, and 5.8% of the disabled. The needs of these people are covered by 2 departments: the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection. Despite the good development of medical and social structures, there are some obstacles when there is a need for their simultaneous work at home. Medical workers in outpatient health organizations provide short-term medical care at home; social services provide social and household services. So needy citizens are often hospitalized not so much for medical reasons, but for social ones. One of the main providers of long-term integrated medico-social care at home is the Visiting Nurses Service of the Belarus Red Cross Society BRC VNS, which provides a range of medical care, social and household services. Description of policy context and objective: Since 2012 the state social order SSO has been introduced in Belarus as an innovative social mechanism. Its main goal is to solve socially significant problems of society through budgetary financing of topical social services/projects of social organizations regardless of the ownership form. The BRC acted as one of the initiators in the SSO promotion and implementation. About 135 SSO contracts were implemented for 4 years. Target population: The recipients of integrated medico-social care at home are single and lonely elderly citizens, people with disabilities, multiple chronic illnesses, mental disorders. The average age of the BRC VNS clients is 82.2 years; people with disabilities make up about 60%. Every year, about 1,500 people get help at home. Highlights innovation, impact and outcomes: The state social order is an innovative social technology. It is carried out on the basis of competitive selection of the contractor and on the principle of purchasing or subsidizing social services and social projects. The manager of financial resources - executive body of state management or local authority - becomes the customer of services in favor of consumers of services. Due to the SSO, the number of citizens who receive medical and social home help increases. In 2015, 516 people in need were served at home, in 2016 - more than 700 people, which is about 50% of all BRC recipients. Comments on transferability: The BRC has many years of experience and a big network of organizations which cover all regions in the country. Conclusions: The provision of integrated medico-social care at home is an alternative to hospitalization of elderly and disabled people. Involvement of NGOs such as the BRC VNS on the basis of financing from the state budget is an effective model that relieves the burden from state health and social protection institutions and allows increasing the availability of services to those in need.

In late 2014, Credentialing and Privileging of Pharmacists: A Resource Paper from the Councilon Credentialing in Pharmacy was published simultaneously by three pharmacy association journals:the Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy,and Consultant Pharmacist.

This dissertation is an examination of the tasks most important to the pediatric oncology social work role. It begins with an argument that pediatric oncology social work is a blend of four social work specialties: generalist medical social work, oncology social work, pediatric social work, and hospice and palliative care social work. Studies report pediatric oncology social workers feel unprepared for numerous tasks related to their role. Despite calls for increased education and training opportunities, few are available. Until now, there has been no study evaluating the tasks that pediatric oncology social workers deem most important to their role, nor any that evaluate practitioners’ level of confidence in performing those tasks. This dissertation is divided into five chapters. Chapter One provides an overview of the pediatric oncology social work role and a high-level overview of the study. Chapter Two details how pediatric oncology social work is a blend of different social work specialties and describes some of the tasks from these specialties found in pediatric oncology social work. The history of social work education in this field is described, as are gaps researchers have identified in preparing social workers in each of the aforementioned specialties. Competence theory and the stages of skill development are discussed and applied to the field of pediatric oncology social work. Chapter Three describes the Delphi Method, which formed the basis of this sequential, two-phase study. The study methodology is also described in detail. Chapter Four covers the results, which not only developed a list of competencies for pediatric oncology social work practice but also assessed how applicable tasks were to the role and how confident practitioners felt in performing each task. Practitioners with less than five years’ experience were found to feel much less confident than their peers with five years or more experience in performing critical tasks. Many of the items in which low confidence was expressed were also areas in which additional training was requested. Chapter Five discusses how these data can be used to better prepare social work students and new practitioners for the role. A pediatric oncology social work curriculum is proposed, along with additional ways students can be trained both in the classroom and in the field education setting.

Gambling-related harms constitute a significant public health concern, with adverse effects ranging from financial difficulties to mental health disorders. Therefore, people experiencing gambling-related harm may need different kinds of health care and social services. This study examines the social and health care usage between gambling severity groups. We aim to examine whether people with recreational, risk or problem gambling use more social and health care services compared to non-gamblers, and what increases the probability to use social and health care services for people who gamble on different levels of risk for harms. The study used data from the population-based Healthy Finland survey (N=28,153, 46%) Results: Our results show that individuals with problem gambling more commonly experienced social and health vulnerabilities. Among individuals with problem gambling, 86% had utilized health care services, and 18% social care services during the past year, which was somewhat higher than among individuals who did not gamble. Among different gambling severity groups, it seemed, that the use of health care services is less common among men, younger individuals, people with excessive alcohol use and among those with higher income. Individuals in the problem gambling groups were 2.1 times more likely to utilize health care services than non-gambling group. Among individuals with problem gambling and low-risk gambling groups, the utilization of social services was more common among those with lower income, individuals experiencing psychological distress and long-standing illnesses. These results provide new knowledge on how people with different levels of risk for gambling harm use social and health services, and support to develop social and health services in responding to gambling problems.