Social Care Workers Research Articles

Duration of protection of ancestral-strain monovalent vaccines and effectiveness of bivalent BA.1 boosters against COVID-19 hospitalisation in England: a test-negative case-control study

Bivalent BA.1 booster vaccines were offered to adults aged 50 years or older and clinically vulnerable people as part of the 2022 autumn COVID-19 booster vaccination programme in England. Previously, all adults in England had been offered a primary course consisting of two doses of either ChAdOx1-S or monovalent mRNA vaccine and an mRNA monovalent booster vaccine. We aimed to estimate the long-term duration of protection provided by monovalent COVID-19 vaccines, and the incremental vaccine effectiveness of bivalent BA.1 boosters. In this test-negative case-control study, cases of COVID-19 and controls aged 18 years or older were identified from national data for PCR tests done in hospital settings in England. Our analysis was restricted to people with acute respiratory infections coded in the primary diagnosis field. Data for vaccination status were extracted from the English national vaccine register and linked to COVID-19 testing data. Between June 13 and Dec 25, 2022, we estimated the vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation of two or three or more doses of monovalent COVID-19 vaccines compared with being unvaccinated, stratified by age (18-64 years vs ≥65 years). Between Sept 5, 2022, and Feb 5, 2023, we estimated the incremental vaccine effectiveness (ie, in addition to the protection from earlier vaccines) of receiving a bivalent BA.1 booster vaccine in addition to at least two doses of a monovalent vaccine (when the last dose was at least 6 months ago) among people aged 50 years or older. Analyses were adjusted for week of test, gender, age, COVID-19 risk group, residing in a care home, being a health or social care worker, Index of Multiple Deprivation quintile, ethnicity, and recent COVID-19 positivity. Our analysis of monovalent COVID-19 vaccines included 19 841 cases and 43 410 controls. Absolute vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation among people who had received at least three doses plateaued from 6 months after the last dose at around 50% in those aged 65 years or older and at around 30% in those aged 18-64 years. Our analyses of the effectiveness of bivalent BA.1 boosters included data for 9954 cases and 39 108 controls aged 50 years or older. Incremental vaccine effectiveness peaked at 53·0% (95% CI 47·9-57·5) 2-4 weeks after administration, before waning to 35·9% (31·4-40·1) after 10 or more weeks. Our study provides evidence that monovalent COVID-19 vaccines offer moderate long-term protection against hospitalisation in people aged 65 years or older and that the bivalent BA.1 booster vaccines were effective in preventing hospitalisation among people aged 50 years or older at a time when omicron lineages were circulating in England. None.

How Palliative Care Social Workers across the Globe Overcame Practical Challenges to Engaging in Research

Abstract With the unique set of values underpinning the social work profession, evidence-based practice must be informed by practitioners well versed in the impact of cultural, political, geographical, economic and general social factors on clinical work. Within the speciality of Palliative Care Social Work (PCSW), these factors influence the level of integration and upskilling of Palliative Care Social Workers (PCSWs). This article describes the collaborative methods used by Palliative Care Social Work (PCSW) practitioners and research-active academics to conduct a global survey of PCSWs about their professional experiences during the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, with a view to better understand their respective roles and identities across regions. The authors of this study suggest that collaboration is key to drawing upon a diverse number of clinical, pedagogic and academic networks to optimise the survey response rate and raise the profile of PCSWs. The authors describe and reflect on the practical and cultural challenges encountered in conducting the survey.

Social work teaching and learning in the era of COVID-19: Lessons for the future

In 2020, the UK and Ireland, and indeed most countries across the globe, found themselves unprepared to deal with a worldwide pandemic (BASW, 2020; Mellish et al., 2020). Indeed, in the UK and Ireland, health and social care workers had to respond to unprecedented situations and adapt quickly and extensively to the health, social and economic dimensions of the crisis (Egan et al., 2020; BASW,2020). It is timely, then, to consider the role of the social worker and the impact on social work training for undergraduate students in light of the changes that have taken place as a result of the global pandemic. The COVID-19 restrictions led to the rise of new forms of social engagement and interaction, as well as the need for professionals, including social workers, to develop new digital skills. This paper will draw on the findings from an online survey (using qualitative and quantitative question sets) conducted with 30 undergraduate social work students in 2021. The survey explored student experiences of online teaching during their ‘preparation for practice learning’ module and the extent to which this online teaching prepared them for their practice learning opportunity (PLO) that followed during a time of strict COVID-19 measures, including social distancing. Recent research has been conducted that highlights the benefits of blended learning (online and face-to-face) as a strong pedagogical approach (Finlay et al., 2022; Karma et al., 2021). As we transition back to face-to-face teaching and learning, this paper will consider the implications of online learning for social work students, analyse the benefits and limitations of this to the learning and practice environment and capture the lessons to hold on to for the future.

We Need to Talk about Class

Abstract Class differences have historically received limited attention in museum theory and practice, and scholarly publications on issues of class and heritage are still scarce. COVID-19 has shone a particularly harsh light on class divisions. At the height of the pandemic, working-class laborers (such as supermarket cashiers, social care workers, truck and delivery drivers) were asked to shoulder high levels of health risks, exposing entrenched socioeconomic inequities. In this article, we build upon a small-scale research and collecting project, Inequalities, Class, and the Pandemic, carried out in 2021 by the London Museum (formerly known as the Museum of London) and King's College London, to discuss how museums can meaningfully engage with working-class lived experiences in our contemporary neo-liberal societies. We begin by analyzing whether and how museums have addressed working-class issues and (hi)stories. We then draw on the voices and experiences of our research participants to examine the ongoing structural inequalities experienced by working-class Londoners. Building on our empirical research, we argue for museums to play an active role in reclaiming the centrality of class in public culture, particularly addressing the contemporary lived experiences of working-class people.

The analysis of problems of supporting long-term nursing of individuals who lost their ability to self-care in Russia

The article considers the issues of social assistance of long-term care of individuals who lost ability to self-care. The comparative analysis of established practices of social assistance of long-term care, of legal and financial support of family members implementing such a care in Russia and European countries is presented. The study was carried out using comparative jurisprudence methodology. The analysis of legislative acts of the European countries revealed possibility of including particular legal provisions concerning financing of long-term care and implementing contractual forms of regulation of employment of family members providing such care, in the Russian social welfare system. The study demonstrated inadequate efficiency of the Russian systems of legal protection and social assistance both individuals seeking long-term care and individuals implementing it, as compared with similar systems in the European countries. To improve these systems, it is necessary to recognize legislatively the care of relative who lost the ability of self-serve as labor function liable to payment based on minimum wage rate. To fix legislatively retention of workplace for caregiver for entire period of caring and/or grant him unpaid vacation for long period. It is necessary to adjust both amount of benefits for care of family member who lost ability to self-care and procedure of calculation of amount of pension benefit of caregiver. The study results can contribute to widening scientific and practical professional discussion in the field of public health, health care organization and social work concerning problems of optimization of means and modes of supporting long-term care of persons who lost ability to self-care. The study results can serve as ground for making amendments to national legislation to harmonize legal support of social welfare system and to improve protection of rights of family members caring relative who lost ability to self-care in conditions of forced loss of income.

The effects of digitalisation on health and social care work: a qualitative descriptive study of the perceptions of professionals and managers

BackgroundToday, digitalisation is strongly present in health and social care, and it increasingly affects the organisation of work, work requirements, tasks and tools. Due to the constant change in work, up-to-date knowledge is needed about these micro-level effects of digitalisation and how professionals experience the effects in their work.Furthermore, even though managers play a key role in implementing new digital services, their perceptions of the effects of digitalisation and whether they match the views of professionals remain unknown. This study examined how health and social care professionals and managers perceive the effects of digitalisation on the work of professionals.MethodsWe used a qualitative approach and conducted eight semi-structured focus group interviews with health and social care professionals (n = 30) and 21 individual interviews with managers in 2020 in four health centres in Finland. The qualitative content analysis included both an inductive and a deductive approach.ResultsDigitalisation was perceived to have changed professionals’ 1) workload and pace, 2) the field and nature of work, 3) work community communication and interaction, and 4) information flow and security. Both professionals and managers identified effects such as accelerated work, reduction in workload, constant learning of technical skills, complicated work due to vulnerable information systems, and reduction in face-to-face encounters. However, managers did not bring up all the effects that professionals considered important, such as the creation of new work tasks, increased and duplicated work, or insufficient time to get acquainted with the systems.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that some of the effects of digitalisation on professionals’ work and changes in the workplace may receive too little or no recognition from managers. This increases the risk that the potential negative effects may be overlooked and that managers will adopt systems that do not support the work of professionals. To reach a common understanding of the effects of digitalisation, continuous discussions between employees and different management levels are required. This contributes to professionals’ well-being and adaptation to changes, as well as the provision of quality health and social services.

Mental well-being, work engagement, and work-related and personal resources among nurse managers: A structural equation model

BackgroundNurse managers are central to guaranteeing quality healthcare outcomes. However, their position is very demanding and special attention should be paid to their mental well-being. Good mental well-being at work is associated with overall occupational well-being, increasing nurse managers' intention to stay in the profession and their commitment to their organization. However, little is known about nurse managers' personal and work-related resources that support good mental well-being. ObjectiveTo explore work-related and personal resources associated with nurse managers' work engagement and mental well-being. DesignA cross-sectional survey study. ParticipantsFinnish nurse managers (n = 366) including ward managers (n = 332), chief nurses (n = 24), and administrative head nurses (n = 6). MethodsNationwide online survey data was collected with a self-administered questionnaire in February 2023 from the members of one health and social care workers' trade union. The relationships between nurse managers' personal (psychological capital and calling) and work-related (job resources and social support) resources, work engagement and mental well-being were analysed using structural equation modeling. Nurse managers were also divided into two groups based on their mental well-being score: those with and without depression. The study is reported following the guidelines for Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE). ResultsNurse managers who had depression (27%) were associated with less personal and work-related resources compared to managers without depression. Work engagement correlated strongly with mental well-being. A structural equation model that indicated positive significant total effects of work engagement (β = 0.38), social support (β = 0.26), job resources (β = 0.19), and psychological capital β = 0.28) and calling (β = 0.13) with mental well-being had an excellent fit. ConclusionNurse managers' mental well-being can be supported by organisational strategies and national policies that enhance leadership skills and increase work-related resources, which, in turn, can manifest as psychological and professional capital and a sense of meaningfulness in work.Globally, the healthcare sector needs resilient and healthy nurse managers to respond to current and future challenges. They are key players in safeguarding the well-being and commitment of nursing staff and thereby improving the quality of care.

Exposure to potentially morally injurious events in U.K. health and social care workers during COVID-19: Associations with PTSD and complex PTSD.

Health and social care workers (HSCWs) have been shown to be at risk of exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) and mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine associations between exposure to PMIEs and meeting threshold criteria for probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and probable complex PTSD (CPTSD) in U.K. HSCWs immediately after the peak of the first COVID-19 wave. Frontline HSCWs from across the United Kingdom working in diverse roles in hospitals, nursing or care homes, and other community settings were recruited to the Frontline-COVID study via social media. Participants (n = 1,056) completed a cross-sectional online survey (May 27, 2020-July 23, 2020) which assessed exposure to PMIEs (nine-item Moral Injury Events Scale), and meeting symptom thresholds for probable PTSD and probable CPTSD (International Trauma Questionnaire). PMIEs related to witnessing others' wrongful actions and betrayal events were more commonly endorsed than perceived self-transgressions. The rate of probable International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11) PTSD was 8.3%, and of probable ICD-11 CPTSD was 14.2%. Betrayal-related PMIEs were a significant predictor of probable PTSD or probable CPTSD, together with having been redeployed during the pandemic. The only variable that differentially predicted probable CPTSD as compared with probable PTSD was not having had reliable access to personal protective equipment; none of the PMIE types were differential predictors for screening positive for probable PTSD versus probable CPTSD. Exposure to PIMEs could be important for PTSD and CPTSD development. Interventions for moral injury in HSCWs should be investigated. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Exposure to Potentially Morally Injurious Events in U.K. Health and Social Care Workers During COVID-19: Associations With PTSD and Complex PTSD

Supplemental Material for Exposure to Potentially Morally Injurious Events in U.K. Health and Social Care Workers During COVID-19: Associations With PTSD and Complex PTSD

Health Accessibility In Rural Areas For The Elderly In Indonesia

The health services between urban and rural areas are quite interesting because they have many differences that can be seen, especially the gap between the two areas. One of the characteristics of urban and rural areas is accessibility development, urban areas tend to develop faster than rural areas. This article was created with the aim of knowing the condition of health service facilities in rural areas in Indonesia and their access, especially for the elderly. The search strategy used in this research is a systematic literature review. The disparity in the elderly's use of health facilities are impacted by their education level, socioeconomic status, ownership of insurance, distance traveled, and cost of transportation. In conclusion, access to healthcare is crucial in Indonesia, particularly for elderly people living in rural areas. The Indonesian government must evenly distribute medical facilities in rural areas and guarantee universal coverage with National Health Insurance. To improve elderly health care, the government needs to develop sufficient expertise with health and social care workers with the necessary training in integrated care services.

Framing dementia care in families with a migration background: An analysis of practitioners' and family caregivers' views and experiences.

Little is known regarding the ways in which practitioners' views and approaches impact support for persons with a migration background (PwM) caring for individuals with dementia. This paper responds to this knowledge gap by identifying how practitioners frame dementia care in families with a migration background, and how these frames can be understood in light of the experiences of PwM caring for a family member with dementia. A total of 41 participants were included. Namely, 10 practitioners (i.e., health and social care workers) and 31 PwM caring for a family member with dementia. All participants were part of a qualitative research project on dementia care in Dutch families with a migration background. Practitioners' expressed frames were identified through Hochschild's interpretive framework of "framing and feeling rules." Thereafter, practitioners' identified frames were related to the care-experiences of PwM caring for a family member with dementia. Findings indicate that practitioners operate within an approach that does not sufficiently take into account the uniqueness of each family caregiver. This leads to frictions within the practitioner-client relationship. We thus highligh the need for discussions about the tenability of practitioners' views and approaches in an increasingly globalized and diverse society.

Promoting Well-being Among Informal Caregivers of People With HIV/AIDS in Rural Malawi: Community-Based Participatory Research Approach.

People living with HIV/AIDS and their informal caregivers (usually family members) in Malawi do not have adequate access to patient-centered care, particularly in remote rural areas of the country because of the high burden of HIV/AIDS, coupled with a fragmented and patchy health care system. Chronic conditions require self-care strategies, which are now promoted in both developed and developing contexts but are still only emerging in sub-Saharan African countries. This study aims to explore the effects of the implementation of a short-term intervention aimed at supporting informal caregivers of people living with HIV/AIDS in Malawi in their caring role and improving their well-being. The intervention includes the dissemination of 6 health advisory messages on topics related to the management of HIV/AIDS over a period of 6 months, via the WhatsApp audio function to 94 caregivers attending peer support groups in the rural area of Namwera. We adopted a community-based participatory research approach, whereby the health advisory messages were designed and formulated in collaboration with informal caregivers, local medical physicians, social care workers, and community chiefs and informed by prior discussions with informal caregivers. Feedback on the quality, relevance, and applicability of the messages was gathered via individual interviews with the caregivers. The results showed that the messages were widely disseminated beyond the support groups via word of mouth and highlighted a very high level of adoption of the advice contained in the messages by caregivers, who reported immediate (short-term) and long-term self-assessed benefits for themselves, their families, and their local communities. This study offers a novel perspective on how to combine community-based participatory research with a cost-effective, health-oriented informational intervention that can be implemented to support effective HIV/AIDS self-care and facilitate informal caregivers' role.

Emotional practices of care and expectations of cost-effectiveness in social work with children and families in Denmark

ABSTRACT Research shows that emotional practices are a basic aspect of social work. This article provides knowledge about emotional practices of care in social work with children and families in Denmark in the context of governmental and managerial expectations of the cost-effectiveness of social work. Based on a Danish qualitative research project Does social work care? Exploring relational, emotional and embodied practices in social services for vulnerable children and families (2018–2023), this article identifies and presents three emotional practices: Creating a feeling of a close and authentic mutual relationship with children and parents; Being tough and maintain professional authority by distributing attention to the child and by demanding parental responsibility, and Emotional endurance based on knowledge, solidarity and sympathy with disadvantaged families. These practices reveal a differentiated socioemotional economy of sympathy and care in social work with families that interact with incentives to take the level and use of services into account. Based on these findings, the article discusses this trend and its implications for social work and suggests further research that can illuminate the broader landscape of emotional practices in different socio-economic context of sympathy and care.

Rethinking paid domestic services in modern societies – Experimental evidence on the effect of quality and professionalisation on service demand

PurposeAlthough essential to social welfare, unpaid domestic and care work is an increasingly scarce resource in modern societies. Despite the growing need, many households refrain from outsourcing their domestic chores to the market. Simultaneously, the household service sector is mostly characterised by low-qualification, informal jobs lacking quality and professional standards. Drawing on transaction cost theory, the present study aims to examine how trust problems deriving from the quality and professionalisation of domestic services can be overcome by also exploring the role of state subsidies in this context.Design/methodology/approachA factorial survey experiment in Germany (N = 4024) causally explores the effect of state-subsidised service vouchers, quality signals and professionalisation on preferences and willingness-to-pay for domestic services. The data were analysed using multilevel modelling techniques.FindingsHypotheses are mostly confirmed: strong quality signals help overcome trust problems, thus facilitating the demand for household services. Further, service vouchers can generate better pay for domestic workers while simultaneously reducing the costs for households.Research limitations/implicationsThe relevance of professionalisation and quality of service as important determinants of domestic service demand is revealed. However, the experimental survey design involves hypothetical scenarios.Originality/valueThe analysis offers insights into how to stimulate demand for household services and increase formal employment in a sector currently largely characterised by informal arrangements. It further shows how social policies can help secure quality and foster professionalisation by shifting paid domestic work from the informal to the formal economy.

A service evaluation of phased- and stepped-care psychological support for health and social care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionally affected the mental health of health and social care workers (HSCWs), with many experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychological interventions have been offered via mental health services and in-house psychology teams, but their effectiveness in this context is not well documented. To evaluate a stepped-care psychological support pathway for HSCWs from Homerton Healthcare Foundation Trust in London, which offered psychological first aid, evidence-based psychological therapies and group-based well-being workshops. The service evaluation used a pre-post approach to assess depression, anxiety, functional impairment and post-traumatic stress disorder symptom change for those who attended sessions of psychological first aid, low- or high-intensity cognitive-behavioural therapy or a combination of these. In addition, the acceptability of the psychological first aid sessions and well-being workshops was explored via feedback data. Across all interventions, statistically significant reductions of depression (d = 1.33), anxiety (d = 1.37) and functional impairment (d = 0.93) were observed, and these reductions were equivalent between the interventions, as well as the demographic and occupational differences between the HSCWs (ethnicity, staff group and redeployment status). HSCWs were highly satisfied with the psychological first aid and well-being workshops. The evaluation supports the utility of evidence-based interventions delivered as part of a stepped-care pathway for HSCWs with common mental health problems in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the novel integration of psychological first aid within the stepped-care model as a step one intervention, replication and further testing in larger-scale studies is warranted.

Women in Homeopathy.

As stated on our publisher's website, “More women than ever before are choosing to pursue careers in both medicine and medical research; however, a gender gap still exists. According to the UN, women make up 70% of health and social care workers, but only 37% of first authors on medical research articles. At Thieme, we believe the key to closing the gender gap in medicine is to uplift women's voices”.[1] Thieme has therefore created its Women in Medicine collection, “which aims to highlight and celebrate the work and contributions to medicine by female-identifying people from around the world”. Our journal is supporting this important project through its connected Women in Homeopathy collection, available to view via the Authors tab on the homepage. Akin to the format of a Virtual Special Issue, its content is articles published in Homeopathy from 2022 onward that have prominently female authorship. We hope that the new online collection adds encouragement to women to continue in homeopathy research and to submit ever more work to the journal.

Oppression or Support? Social Policy in the Lives of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities

ABSTRACTIndividuals’ self-determination, in the sense of making one’s own decisions and controlling one’s own life, constitutes a fundamental human right. It is also pivotal to the realisation of other human rights, and has become a founding pillar of social policy. Through interviews with eight persons who have intellectual disabilities, this article looks at whether, how, and why the promise of self-determination stated in Norwegian guardianship and social-care policies impacts practice. As such it aims to give voice to perspectives that are largely underrepresented in human rights and social science research. The article finds that persons with intellectual disabilities commonly experience newly enacted polices as oppressive rather than supportive. Both social-care workers and guardians can easily obstruct the self-determination of persons who depend on their support, and Norwegian policies do not include efficient mechanisms for empowering these individuals. The article also provides some advice on how policies can better protect the rights of those who depend on decision-making assistance.

Health and social care workers experiences of coping while working in the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic: One year on.

The unprecedented pressure of working on the frontline during the Covid-19 pandemic had a demonstrable impact on the mental health and wellbeing of health and social care workers in the early stages of the pandemic, however, less research has focused on workers' experiences over the longer course of the pandemic. We set out to develop an explanatory model of the processes that helped and hindered the coping of HSCWs working over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. Twenty HSCWs based in the UK took part in the study. They completed semi-structured interviews 12-18 months after the peak of the first wave in the UK. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using grounded theory methodology. The analysis identified eleven theoretical codes: personal context, organisational resources, organisational response, management, colleagues, decision-making and responsibilities, internal impacts, external impactors, safety, barriers to accessing support and temporal factors. The findings suggest that factors related to the individual themselves, their personal context, the organisation they work in, their managers, the support structures around them and their sense of safety impacted on HSCWs; ability to cope. Some factors changed over time throughout the first year of the pandemic, such as workload and staff illness, which further impacted HSCWs' coping. There were many barriers to accessing support that also impacted coping, including availability, awareness and time. The relationship between the factors that impacted coping are represented in an explanatory model. The findings extend previous studies on the mental health impact on frontline HSCWs working during Covid-19, providing novel insight by developing an explanatory model illustrating the underlying factors that impacted their coping experiences over the course of the pandemic in the UK. The findings from this study may assist in the development of improved and more effective support for HSCWs going forwards.

The impact of COVID-19 on palliative care social work: An online survey by a European Association of Palliative Care Task Force

Background: The SARS-Cov-2 (COVID-19) pandemic affected the delivery of health and social care services globally. However, little is known about how palliative care social work services were impacted. Aim: The aim of this study was to capture and analyse data from palliative care social workers who provided professional support in a range of settings across 21 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: A cross-sectional survey-based design was used for this empirical study and this paper primarily focuses on the quantitative responses. Setting/participants: Participants, palliative care social workers, were drawn internationally via members of the EAPC Social Work Task Force and the World Hospice Palliative Care Social Work network. Results: We received 362 survey responses from 21 countries. Most (79%) respondents worked with adults in in-patient units or hospitals. The number of referrals during COVID-19 increased more in non-European countries, compared to European countries. The full range of social work services could no longer be delivered, existing services changed and 65.3% of participants reported higher levels of pressure during the pandemic, which was linked to higher levels of staff absence and additional duties. For many respondents (40.8%), this included facilitating online communication between patients and their families. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19 resulted in adaptations to service delivery, increased pressure on staff and moral distress, like other health and social care professions. All members of the palliative team need support and supervision to ensure effective interdisciplinary working and team cohesion.

Finnish Remote Leadership in Home Care during the Pandemic

This study was conducted as part of the national The More Remotely – work in social and health care is changing project (2019-2022). The purpose of this qualitative study was to clarify how functional remote leadership works from the perspective of superiors and to gain new information on the functionality and development needs of remote leadership. The data consisted of the material collected via a group-based themed interview, memoranda written by members of the training groups and assignments submitted by the participants. The data were analyzed through material-driven content analysis. The results show that remote leadership is based on the same principles as good leadership in general: communality, trust, interaction and clear ground rules. When these sections are in order, remote leadership works. Positive sides of remote leadership that emerged include faster, real-time sharing of information and the decoupling of work from a specific place. Work was seen as more efficient and productive. The greatest challenges to remote leadership are problems related to technology, such as failing programs and devices, constant changes and a lack of guidance. Remote leadership was seen as increasing anonymity and distance within the workplace. Superiors felt that physical meetings were needed to support remote leadership. Central development proposals included familiarizing people with the culture of remote leadership and increasing knowledge and use of various programs and devices. There is also a need to clarify the ground rules, scheduling and practices of remote conferences and to constantly gather feedback on the functionality of remote leadership. Teaching about remote leadership as part of basic studies in the social and health care field would prepare future professionals to being led remotely. Keywords: remote leadership, home care, technology, remote meetings, Finland