Medical Social Workers Research Articles

‘We are essential:’ Pediatric health care social workers’ perspectives on being designated essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Continued provision of essential services is critical to maintaining society’s functioning during a crisis. During COVID-19, lockdowns and restrictions designed to preserve the public’s health forced an examination of what it means to be an essential worker. Drawing from thematic analyses of focus group data from 55 social workers employed in a large, urban, pediatric, quaternary hospital, this study examines the perspectives of hospital social workers on the meaning of the essential status designation of social work. Findings revealed themes pertaining the substance of social work, the ways in which essential status is carried out, and implications of the designation not only for the future of the profession but also for the populations who receive social work services. The discussion raised important questions about the essential role of social workers in broader health care settings. Our findings suggest that health care systems need to engage in ongoing discussions of how to maximize the efficacy of the social work workforce, both in terms of integration with medical teams and recognition of the important roles social workers play across the hospital system, and facilitate the performance of their essential functions.

Thinking about the quality of life on the diet

I served for 36 years in several hospitals as a medical social worker. In my childhood, my father was internist and my mother helped his work. She also prepared meal using several foodstuffs. Families in the district were almost two family dwelling. And elderly people cared neighboring children in their spare time. I studied social welfare and worked at some hospitals as the medical social worker. I gave the advise to solve the personal problem of patients. We (doctor, nurse, nutrtionist, pharmacist and medical social worker) discussed the improvement in quality of life of patients. After retirement, I worked as volunteer at social welfare council. Sometimes I visited the home of elderly people and prepared meal using foodstuffs of refrigerator and heard his memories of childhood.

Determinants of Willingness to Be Involved with Addiction among Medical Social Workers:

Determinants of Willingness to Be Involved with Addiction among Medical Social Workers:

Family support for pediatric organ donation experienced at our hospital- served as both a medical social worker and a hospital transplant coordinator

Family support for pediatric organ donation experienced at our hospital- served as both a medical social worker and a hospital transplant coordinator

Open defecation practice in twenty remote villages located in South India: A population-based cross-sectional study

Introduction: Open defecation practice is a major public health problem in India. We intended to study the practice of open defecation and its related risk factors in a rural area of South India. Methodology: This study was conducted in twenty villages surrounding a rural health training center, located in Tamil Nadu. Data collection was done by medical interns and medical social workers using a structured questionnaire. Results: The total population surveyed was 14,925, of which 14,061 individuals were in the age group of 5 years and above. Among them, 9069 (64% [63–65]) individuals were practicing open defecation. When compared to backward caste, individuals belonging to the most backward caste were 10% more likely (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR]: 1.1 [1.0–1.2]) and individuals belonging to scheduled caste were 40% more likely (aPR: 1.4 [1.3–1.5]) to be practicing open defecation. With increase in age, there was a decrease in the prevalence of open defecation practice by 1% (aPR: 0.99 [0.99–0.99]) and with increase in family members, there was a decrease in the prevalence of open defecation practice by 2% (aPR: 0.98 [0.96–0.99]). Illiterate people had 14% higher chance of preferring open defecation (aPR: 1.14 [1.07–1.2]). Tobacco users were 10% more likely (aPR: 1.1 [1.0–1.3]) to be associated with the open defecation practice and nonvegetarians were 20% more likely to be associated with the open defecation practice (aPR: 1.2 [1.1–1.3]). When compared to kutcha house individuals, pucca house individuals were 10% less likely (aPR: 0.9 [0.8–1.0]) and semi-puccca house individuals were 10% more likely (aPR: 1.1 [1.0–1.2]) to adopt open defecation method. Gender, marital status, and hypertension were not associated with the open defecation practice. Conclusion: Open defecation practice is still continuing as an important public health problem in remote rural areas of South India.

THERAPEUTIC PEDAGOGY VERSUS SOCIAL WORK, THEIR INTERSECTION AND CHARACTERISTICS

In the presented paper, the author identifies and points out the basic characteristics of theoretical, practical, but also scientific fields of medical pedagogy and social work. It identifies the basic characteristics and positions of individual practical branches in relation to other discip lines and analyzes both theoretical and practical branches from the point of view of helping the client. The author also analyzes basic social counseling, which social work uses not only to solve the client's problem situations, but also to use their own knowledge and experience for the benefit of the client.

Hospital social workers’ contributions to increasing health literacy among parents of acutely and critically ill children

ABSTRACT Hospital social workers often engage in health literacy activities to support patients’ and families’ functioning and adjustment to illness, but social work literature has seldom used health literacy terminology. This paper reports on a qualitative study of paediatric hospital social workers’ understanding of the needs of parents with acutely ill children and how their contributions may accommodate these needs to strengthen parental health literacy. Utilising systematic text condensation, the study reveals four themes: (1) understanding of medical information, (2) counselling and service coordination, (3) emotional needs, and (4) timing of information. The findings suggest that hospital social workers make valuable additions to health literacy.

Knowledge, Attitude and Uptake of Pap Smear among Female Healthcare Professionals in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital

Background: Despite the high prevalence of cervical cancer (CC) in Nigeria, the uptake of screening services, including Pap smear, remains poor, even amongst healthcare providers.
 Objective: To assess Pap smear knowledge, attitude, and uptake among female healthcare professionals (FHPs).
 Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Kwara State, Nigeria, using a self-administered questionnaire.
 Results: A majority (343, 98.6%) of the FHPs knew Pap smear. Five (26.3%) medical laboratory scientists did not know what a Pap smear was. All the nurses, doctors, pharmacists, physiotherapists and medical social workers knew Pap smear. Only a fifth (71; 20.4%) of the FHPs had ever done a Pap smear. The most common reason cited for not having done a Pap smear was lack of time (109; 31.3%). There was a relationship between age and uptake of Pap smear (p = 0.024). Only 188 (54%) of the FHPs had ever recommended Pap smear to other women.
 Conclusion: Despite the high level of knowledge of Pap smear amongst FHPs in Nigeria, attitude and uptake remain poor. There is a need for further training and education of FHPs on the benefits of CC screening to increase their uptake and improve their effectiveness in promoting positive attitudes towards CC screening and prevention in the general population.

Understanding Psychosocial Dimensions of Geriatric Patients with Effective and Efficient Approach: Comprehensive and Contributing Factors

Aim: Background research looked at the demographics of senior patients with psychosocial difficulties around the world, as well as the impact of medical and psychiatric social workers on the old patients' recovery. Never before has the world's population been as mature as it is now. The research tool was ‘health status,' and psychological and social wellness were utilized to examine psychological difficulties connected with the gender of senior geriatric patients, as well as social problems. Increased mortality, prolonged length of stay, high rates of readmission, placement in a skilled care facility, delirium, and functional deterioration are all possible outcomes for the hospitalized senior. Individual patients and families, as well as the healthcare system as a whole, are affected by these outcomes in medical, emotional, and economic ways. Conclusion: Care for the aged must be approached in a specific psychological and functional context, in addition to disease-based management. In the case of approaching an elderly patient, a thorough geriatric assessment is essential.

Factors Affecting Neurosurgeons' Decisions to Forgo Life-Sustaining Treatments After Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a multifaceted condition that causes mortality and disability worldwide. Limited data are available on the factors associated with the decision for the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (WLST) for patients with TBI. In the present study, we aimed to determine the risk factors and attitudes affecting neurosurgeons when deciding on WLST for patients with TBI using a multicenter survey. An online questionnaire was applied worldwide and shared using social media platforms and electronic mail to ∼5000 neurosurgeons. The social media group "Neurosurgery Cocktail" was used to post a link to the questionnaire. In addition, randomly chosen neurosurgery clinics around the world were sent the survey via electronic mail. Of the participants, 17.22% had decided on WLST after TBI for >26 patients. Neurosurgeons with more WLST decisions were older, had had more clinical experience and intensive care unit (ICU) training, and were better prepared to involve the family members of TBI patients in their decision-making compared with those with fewer WLST decisions. The respondents stated that the patient's family, ICU consultants, and themselves played the most influential role in the WLST decisions, with the hospital administration, social workers, spiritual caregivers, and nurses having lesser roles. The current and presenting Glasgow coma scale scores, pupillary response, advanced patient age, candidates for a vegetative state, and impaired neurological function were significant factors associated with the WLST decision. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to evaluate neurosurgeons concerning their opinions and behaviors regarding WLST decisions after TBI. Increased patient age, Glasgow coma scale score, pupillary response, the presence of comorbidities, candidacy for a vegetative state, and impaired neurological function were the main factors contributing to the decision for WLST. We also found that the family, ICU consultants, and the attending neurosurgeon had the most effective roles in the decisions regarding WLST.

An Evaluation of the Service Intensity Add-On Payment Policy Reform in the Medicare Hospice Benefit

In 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented the Service Intensity Add-On (SIA) payment, which incentivized skilled nurse and medical social worker (SN/MSW) visits in the last seven days of life. Little is known about the impact of this initiative. Using 100% Medicare hospice claims, we identified a 10% random sample of Medicare hospice beneficiaries utilizing routine home care service during calendar years 2012-2018. We compared the provision of SN/MSW visits on service dates before and after the SIA’s implementation relative to beneficiaries’ date of death. We also determined hospice providers’ success in providing SN/MSW visits in the last days of life and categorized all providers into quintiles according to the average rate of these visits in the period prior to the SIA’s implementation. Cumulative over the last seven days of life, we calculated an increase of 15.7 SN/MSW minutes (95% confidence internal [CI] 14.9-16.5 minutes) per beneficiary after the SIA was implemented. The per-minute increase was greatest on days nearer to death (4.0 minutes day of death, 95% CI 3.6-4.2). There was no detectable visit increase on days which were ineligible for the SIA. Additionally, those providers in the quintile providing the lowest rate of SN/MSW visits pre-SIA exhibited a 14-percentage point increase in rates of these visits, the third, fourth, and fifth quintiles exhibited little change over time. Further monitoring is needed to ensure beneficiaries receive adequate end-of-life care.

Characterizing Supportive Services Use by Caregiving Relationship Status

Informal caregivers of aging older adults experience a high degree of burden and strain. These emotional experiences often stem from stressful tasks associated with caregiving. Caregiving supportive services that target the provision of support for stressful tasks are instrumental in alleviating caregiving burden and strain. Research is limited on what types of caregiving supportive services caregivers are accessing by relationship status and their source of information. We sought to characterize caregiving supportive services use by caregiving relationship status. We analyzed cross-sectional data from the 2015 National Study of Caregiving limited to caregivers of older adults □65 years. Caregiver relationship status (i.e., spouse, child, other relative/non-relative) was the independent variable. Bivariate analyses were performed to examine the association with caregiver relationship status and 1) any use of supportive services, 2) type of supportive service used among users, and 3) source of information about supportive services. Our sample consisted of 1,871 informal caregivers, 30.7% reported using supportive services. By caregiver relationship status, children had the greatest use of supportive services compared to spouses and other relatives/non-relatives (33.3% vs. 22.5% vs. 22.1%, p=.02, respectively). Among users of services, there were no differences in type of services used. Spouses primarily received their information about services from a medical provider or social worker (73.8%, p=.004). Our findings highlight the need to ensure that other caregiving groups such as spouses have access to important supportive services such as financial support. Medical providers and/or social workers should be better leveraged and equipped to provide this information.

“I Have Failed Them and Failed My Duties”: Experiences of Hospital Social Workers Discharging Patients into Homelessness

Homelessness is a long-standing issue at the forefront of healthcare globally, and discharge of homeless patients from hospital settings can exacerbate gaps and burdens in healthcare systems. In hospitals, social workers often take on the majority of responsibility for facilitating patient discharge transitions out of hospital care. Research in this area to date has explored experiences and outcomes of homeless clients, and the experiences of social workers in these roles are not well known. The current study's objective was to elucidate observations and experiences of hospital social workers who discharge patients into homelessness. A total of 112 social workers responded to an online questionnaire, and responses to open-ended questions were analyzed for thematic content. Four overarching themes emerged: (1) complexity of clients, (2) systemic barriers, (3) resource gaps, and (4) negative impact on social workers. It is clear that significant change is required to address the multitude of challenges that intersect to reinforce health inequities. Results can be used by social workers, health authorities, community providers, researchers, and policymakers in discussions about best practices for homeless clients.

A SPIRITUAL SOCIAL WORK INTERVENTION PROPOSAL IN THE FIELD OF MEDICAL SOCIAL WORK: UMRAN MODEL

The social work discipline and occupation have generally aimed at biological, psychological, and social well-being in evaluating people. However, ignoring the spiritual dimension of human beings will cause a deficiency in achieving full well-being. The reason for this is that evaluating humans from a holistic perspective requires taking into account the spiritual dimension as well as the biological, psychological, and social dimensions. The problem of the study is to reveal whether oncology patients have spiritual needs and if they do so, how a spiritual social work intervention proposal can be developed in the field of medical social work. In Turkey, it is important to develop an application model proposal due to the inadequacy of applications for spiritual needs in medical/oncological social work. The study aims to offer a spiritual social work intervention model suitable for Turkish society and values by conducting in-depth interviews with oncology patients and reviewing the relevant international literature. The fact that suggestions were made to meet the needs of oncology patients for spiritual social work in this study reveals its originality. The case study technique, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. In this context, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 cancer patients. A semi-structured interview form was used in the interviews. According to the findings, it was determined that oncology patients have spiritual needs, no spiritual social work intervention is applied in our country, and spiritual social work interventions are carried out in the world for these needs of patients. At the end of the study, an example of spiritual social work intervention was developed in accordance with Turkey's cultural codes.

COT-28 Questionnaire Survey Regarding Working Condition of the Members Belongs to the Japan Society for Neuro-Oncology (JSNO) by the Gender Equality and Diversity Committee of the JSNO, 2021

Gender Equality and Diversity Committee (“Women and Diversity in Neuro-oncology - WING”) of the Japan Society for Neuro-oncology (JSNO) was established in November 2020 with the aim of supporting and providing better opportunities for diverse members including women in JSNO. In order to achieve this goal, the JSNO and WING planned to conduct a questionnaire survey of all members in the fall of 2021 to investigate the actual situation of members. The targets of this study were clinicians, basic researchers, nurses and allied health professionals including medical social workers. The survey is conducted after obtaining the approval of the Ethics Committee and Academic Committee of the JSNO. Method: As of September 26, this questionnaire is currently underway online and anonymously. The questionnaire includes questions on work environment, home environment (including childcare and nursing care) for understanding work-life balance, existence of problems related to career development, support measures considered necessary, and expectations for WING. Results: As the results of the questionnaire were not available at the time of writing this abstract. However at the presentation we will present the statistical analysis of the survey. Various comparisons of the questionnaire items common to those of the Japan Neurosurgical Society and the Japan Pediatric Society, which were conducted several years before this survey. Conclusion: Respect for diversity is increasingly important in the field of neuro-oncology. Surveys are important for the future success of our diverse community, and we believe that this survey will be an important milestone.

Adolescent Medical Decisionmaking Rights: Reconciling Medicine and Law.

Dennis Lindberg came into his aunt's care when he was in the 4th grade because his parents struggled with drug addiction and could not provide for him. At thirteen, he was baptized in his aunt's faith as a Jehovah's Witness. Just days after he turned fourteen, on November 6, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.The prognosis was that Dennis had a 75% chance of cure with standard oncology treatment. Consistent with the requirements of his new faith, however, Dennis told his doctors, "I do not want to be treated if the requirement is that I would have to take a blood transfusion." His aunt, whose custodial rights seem not to have included medical decisionmaking, was adamant that "[t]his is Dennis's decision."The hospital social worker assigned to Dennis's case assured his aunt that "having just turned 14, [he] could be considered mature enough to make his own decisions." But hospital psychologists declined to evaluate Dennis's maturity because they did "not have the tools for such an assessment." Established hospital policy described the failure to provide a minor with necessary, life-saving care as medical neglect. Hospital ethicists advised that Dennis's autonomy interests were outweighed by the benefits associated with treatment. And, standard oncology practice norms are that doctors should push back against minors' lifesaving treatment refusals. Still, Dennis's doctor agreed with his social worker and aunt, saying, "We owe respect to a 14-year-old[.]" In this view, he was supported by colleagues on staff and by hospital counsel.A county judge got the case only at the eleventh hour, on an emergency motion filed by Dennis's parents and Child Protective Services for a declaration of dependency and to compel the necessary transfusion. Although Dennis was degrading rapidly, his doctor testified that if a transfusion were ordered that day, Dennis still had a 70% chance of survival. The judge had no background in the applicable law and no time to research the issues; nevertheless, he denied the motion concluding, "It is time to do what Dennis has decided." "Seven hours later, at 6 p.m., on Nov. 28, Dennis died."1.

코로나 19 이후 의료사회복지사의 직무 변화와 대응 실태

본 연구는 코로나 19 상황에서 의료사회복지사의 직무 변화와 현장의 대응 실태를 조사하고 지원 방향에 대한 의료사회복지사의 욕구를 파악하여 향후 대응방안 마련을 위한 기초 자료 제공을 목적으로 수행되었다. 이를 위해 코로나 19 직무 변화, 서비스 제공 양상을 중심으로 한 의료사회복지실천 현장의 대응, 향후 의료사회복지계에 요구되는 노력으로 연구틀을 구성하였다. 개방형 질문과 폐쇄형 질문을 조합한 48개 문항의 설문을 구성하여 의료사회복지사를 대상으로 온라인설문조사를 진행하였다. 조사에 참여한 총 152명의 응답을 기술통계, ANOVA 분석을 통한 기관유형, 기관 소재 지역, 인력 규모에 따라 평균 비교하였고, 풍부하고 의미 있는 결과 도출을 위해 개방형 문항에 대한 응답을 내용 분석하였다. 연구결과, 코로나 19로 인해 기존에 수행해온 직무가 중단된 경우가 응답자의 86.2%, 기존과 달리 새롭게 부과된 직무가 있었던 경우가 응답자의 81.6%로 나타나 코로나 19가 의료사회복지사의 직무에 상당한 변화를 가져온 것으로 파악되었다. 특히 서비스 제공방식 측면에서 전화 상담, SNS 사용이 기존에 비해 증가한 것이 두드러진 현상으로 나타났다. 그중에서도 감염 고위험으로 인해 상당 기간 면회가 제한되었던 요양병원의 경우 화상상담 형태의 서비스가 유의미하게 증가한 것으로 확인되었다. 인력 규모가 4명 이상으로 어느 정도 인력자원이 확보된 기관에서 집단 화상상담 등의 비대면 서비스 제공을 유의미하게 많이 시도한 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 향후 필요한 의료사회복지계의 노력으로 기관 내부의 협력과 지원, 의료사회복지사 개인의 디지털 역량 강화 순으로 높은 응답을 보였다. 이러한 결과를 토대로 의료사회복지계의 대응방안 마련에 대한 논의와 후속 연구에 대한 제언을 제시하였다.

Exploration of the Application of Evidence-based Practice in Medical Social Work Case Service

Exploration of the Application of Evidence-based Practice in Medical Social Work Case Service

Identifying Barries in Implementing Policies on Human Resource Development for Social Work in Hospital Nowadays

Abstract: In 2020, the project “Development of social work as a profession in Vietnam for the 2010-2020 period” was considered the official beginning of social work profession in Vietnam. Then, the Ministry of Health developed social work models in hospitals based on the project “Development of social work as a profession in the health sector for the 2011-2020 period” according to Decision 2514/QD-BYT of the Ministry of Health dated July 15th, 2011. This is a new development in healthcare in Vietnam. To accompany the regular goal of improving the quality of medical services at health facilities of the health sector, social work in hospitals needs some changes for comprehensive development. The development of social work in hospitals, foremost, needs a system of professional social workers, both in quantity and quality, and appropriate policies which facilitate the implementation of social work models. The article described the current situation of social work development policies in general and social work in hospitals in particular, via analysis of policies on organizational structure, training and recruitment of social workers using survey data from two hospitals. From that, the paper identified obstacles in human resource development for social work in hospitals and proposed solutions to improve professional social work models at hospitals
 Keywords
 Social work, social work in hospitals, social work policy, human resource in social work.

Study on the Dilemma and Development Path of Medical Social Work in China

Study on the Dilemma and Development Path of Medical Social Work in China