Medical Social Workers Research Articles

Transforming Medical Social Work with Artificial Intelligence

Transforming Medical Social Work with Artificial Intelligence

Occupational Wellness Concerns and Self-Care Strategies of Filipino Medical Social Workers During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Given the intense demands imposed on medical social workers (MSWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic, they are vulnerable to developing occupational wellness concerns (OWCs): physical, social, emotional, mental, or spiritual issues caused by work-related factors. OWCs adversely affect the occupational wellness of the worker and the quality of service given to clients. One approach to reduce OWCs is professional self-care. This study explored the experiences of Filipino MSWs during the pandemic, the OWCs experienced, their self-care strategies, and their impact on professional practice. Face-to-face, Zoom, and email interviews were conducted with 10 MSWs who were part of the skeletal workforce of four (4) hospitals in Metro Manila. The findings showed that OWCs were caused by their commitment to professional duty, intense workload, and health and safety risks. This resulted in conflict with coworkers, desire to quit work, undesirable work attitudes, unhealthy habits, and disruption in the quality of service provision. Meanwhile, professional self-care led to enhanced work performance, improved relations with coworkers and clients, enhanced cognitive ability, increased self-awareness, and acted as a first aid response to combat OWCs. Insights on hospital limitations, supportive mechanisms, social work as an undervalued versus satisfying profession, motivation, and professionalism during the pandemic were also documented.

Role of primary care for individuals with childhood-onset neurologic conditions

BackgroundIndividuals with childhood-onset neurologic conditions often face challenges in the pediatric-to-adult health care transition (HCT). Furthermore, the importance of implementing primary care is unrecognized. We investigated the situation of adults with childhood-onset neurologic conditions from the perspective of health care professionals (HCPs) in community- and hospital-based primary care practice. Design and methodsOverall, 1334 HCPs in medical facilities across Tokyo (mainly in Kita, Nerima, and Itabashi Cities) were surveyed regarding their experience caring for adults with childhood-onset neurologic conditions. Snowball sampling was also deployed to enhance the input from various health professions. The questionnaire included quick response codes linked to web-based questionnaires identical to paper-based ones, enabling additional HCPs to answer the questionnaire. The survey included questions about the care provided by HCPs, the perceived challenges and worthwhileness of the care, and their views on HCT. ResultsWe collected 276 responses (response rate, 20.7%): 224 by mail and 52 online. In total, 94 HCPs of the respondents (75 doctors, 11 nurses, 5 therapists, 2 care workers, and 1 medical social worker) involved in caring for this population were analyzed. Doctors and nurses managed medical devices, educated patients, and provided consultation and care. Doctors cited the management of comorbidities outside of their expertise and difficulties securing hospitalization during emergencies as barriers to care. HCPs found the valuable opportunities to enrich their clinical experience and long-term relationships with patients worthwhile. HCPs expressed the need for systems that guarantee patient hospitalization and multidisciplinary conferences between HCPs and specialists. ConclusionWe described the roles of HCPs in community- and hospital-based primary care, which are vital components of HCT for adults with childhood-onset neurologic conditions. Their practice includes multidisciplinary involvement, patient education, and care coordination. For better HCT in this population, efforts are required to enhance HCPs’ capability to respond to patients with disabilities, patients’ multiple comorbidities, and families’ needs. Practice implicationsFurther efforts to deepen community-based care are desired to improve HCT for people with childhood-onset neurologic conditions.

Wit-Gele Kruis good practices in outpatient home care

Wit-Gele Kruis is an outpatient home care organization, spread across five Flemish provinces in Belgium. Each has an autonomous organizational structure, but for large-scaled projects forces are joined under an umbrella headquarters, in Brussels.
 Person-centered care, emancipatory methods and interdisciplinary teamwork are among our core methods. Since integrated care is part of our DNA, we present some of our good practices.
 Limburg & West-Flanders 
 In these two provinces, a handful of nurses go onto the streets to try and provide care for homeless persons. Their scope of work ranges from motivating them to go to a shelter for a shower, to wound care treatment, oral hygiene and getting the necessary vaccinations.
 “Wit-Gele Kruis aims to provide warm quality outpatient home care, but what if there’s no roof over one’s head? Then we still make sure those too receive warm care.”
 In Limburg the initiating partner is a city, whereas in West-Flanders organizations specialized in mental health are taking the lead. Other partners include hospitals, police, welfare and well-being city services and an outpatient shelter for drug users.
 Mostly (young) male adults are reached. But in Ostend sex workers also reach out, seeking advice.
 “Street nursing is on the city council’s agenda to ensure that even the most marginalized groups have (health) care access.”
 East-Flanders
 One of our dementia care experts participates in the care network around a chronically ill patient, to guide and refer them and their informal caregivers to the proper channels.
 This care network consists of home care nurses, general practitioners, pharmacists, cities, hospitals, mental health/ welfare themed organizations, patient care organizations. They focus on the patient’s resilience, autonomy and participation in their own healthcare process.
 “I consider this to be an extremely useful and valuable project that enables people diagnosed with dementia e.g., to remain safe in their own home environment as long as possible.” 
 Antwerp
 In 2021 51% of our palliative care patients received end-of life care by a team consisting of our nursing team, the general practitioner and an external palliative care equip. Given the channel trough which patients in care are reported, the hospital social worker may also be added to that care team. 
 Usually when the need for voluntary services arises, and the advanced care planning conversations are on the table or when the informal caregiver obstructs the care setting, nurses can suggest to the general practitioner to have the equip involved.
 “There’s is nothing earth-shattering that we are doing here, but it does provide a quality service to everyone involved in the dying process.”
 Flemisch Brabant
 There is a transitional limited stay arrangement for elderly people above 60 years, whose home situation is no longer suitable and where there is no medical reason for hospitalization. This project is a collaboration between general practitioners, health insurance funds, city care & welfare services, home care organizations and hospitals.
 “This project aims to support elderly people to live safely at home for longer and avoid (re)admission to the hospital.”

INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION: STRATEGIES TO REACH RURAL STUDENTS THROUGH GERIATRIC EDUCATION

Abstract Inter-professional collaboration across disciplines such as primary care medical practice, physician assistants, social workers, and nutritionists does not occur naturally, since educational programs are often taught independently of each other, but these disciplines are required to work collaboratively with each other. The objective was to promote communication across disciplines and help each discipline understand the roles played in promoting mental health and general health for older adults. Three specific strategies to address Interprofessional Education were devised and implemented within a rural context to address the goal of improving collaboration and communication. An educational seminar was conducted using cases and guide questions focused on identifying strategies for care. A second strategy was through “Student hot-spotting” where students worked with a high-need complex case over the course of a school year weekly, as a team-based approach. A third strategy made use of a weekly medical clinic for team-based patient care. The teams consisted of Medical Residents, Social Work students, Physician Assistant students, and nutrition students. Findings suggest professionals were surprised at what they learned from the other disciplines they were collaborating with. They also learned about community-based resources available as well as strategies to promote health outcomes. All participants felt that the opportunity to collaborate outside of their disciplines would strengthen their impact when working with older adults and their families. In conclusion, a problem-based learning approach coupled with the opportunity to collaborate with other disciplines through (IPE) improves overall collaboration among professionals. All strategies had positive learning outcomes.

INCONSISTENT AND UNPREPARED: HOW FAMILY CAREGIVERS AND OLDER ADULTS EXPERIENCE HOSPITAL DISCHARGE

Abstract Family caregivers and older adult patients report confusion, inconsistency, and a lack of preparation for post-discharge activities after a hospital stay, leading to hospital readmissions. This multi-disciplinary research project investigated how family caregivers, older adult patients, and hospital clinical and administrative staff experienced the hospital discharge process at a midwestern hospital system. The research team brought together expertise in community-engaged research and bridged multiple specializations, including personal family caregiver experience, community service expertise, community engaged research leadership, and instruction of medical students and social work students. Together, we conducted semi-structured interviews with family caregiver, older adult patients, and hospital personnel via video conference and telephone. We analyzed the data using open coding strategies and principles of thematic analysis. Themes included the importance of the timing of discharge planning, communication between all systems and individuals included in the discharge process, a lack of clarity regarding the roles in the process, inconsistent identification of the family caregiver, conflicting priorities, and the impact of medication errors. Implications are (1) each organization within the older adult/family caregiver system must determine their role in the post discharge process including the type of services and resources that support older adults and family caregivers and (2) the current system of healthcare, public sector, and community must determine how to adapt and change to support older adults and their family caregivers during the post-discharge period.

When the Body Speaks: Body-Mapping the Somatic Symptoms of Stress in Hospital Social Workers

Abstract Impact of workplace stress is a significant issue for social workers in hospital practice. This study aims to understand somatic stress in hospital social workers, the physical embodiment of stress and recognition within employing organisations and education. Using a collaborative inquiry methodology, data were collected using body-mapping workshops. Following Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, three overarching themes were generated: experiences of somatisation, deliberate disembodiment, stress management and staff well-being. Social worker findings include the inhabiting of multiple bodies at work and the impact of the work environment on well-being. Harmful coping strategies and a lack of existing support and recognition were identified. Recommendations include an integration of somatic stress into the existing well-being scholarship to aid in acknowledgement and resourcing.

P195: The evolution of a community mental health team in Singapore: Community Psychogeriatric Programme

Mental health issues in the elderly were often overlooked in the past, with mental illness often being underdiagnosed, undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. As such, mental healthcare in the elderly was often insufficient, leading to significant adverse outcomes in individuals and caregivers, as well as an added burden to the healthcare system.The Community Psychogeriatric Programme (CPGP) was set up in Changi General Hospital in 2007 to serve the Eastern Region in Singapore. CPGP comprises of a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, medical social workers, occupational therapists, a physiotherapist and administrative executives. The programme objective is to provide community mental health services for early detection and treatment of psychogeriatric disorders and to allow aging-in-place within the community. This is achieved through collaborating with social and healthcare agencies, as well as caregivers, to meet the needs of the elderly to maintain them in the community for as long as possible.Over the past 16 years, the proportion of Singapore’s population aged 65 and above have grown, mental health literacy in Singapore has improved, and community mental healthcare providers have increased. CPGP’s community partnerships multiplied, including social eldercare agencies such as dementia daycare centres, general medical practitioners in Primary Care Clinics and Community Hospitals, and residential facilities such a sheltered homes and nursing homes. The CPGP team pivoted to focus more heavily on networking with community partners, training and upskilling them with knowledge of geriatric mental healthcare and empowering them to provide care and support in the community setting. The goal was to right-site care, promoting early detection and intervention in the community. Home based consultations or nursing home consultations, including telepsychiatry, were reserved for elderly patients who really could not access specialist psychogeriatric outpatient services in the hospital.Looking back on the work CPGP has done, this is a reflection of our journey, reviewing the strategies we have employed to improve community psychogeriatric care, our achievements thus far, and the challenges we have been faced with as the healthcare landscape evolved in Singapore.

P141: BRIGHT (Building Resilience in Geriatric Health Today)

Aims:Geriatric depression and anxiety are increasingly relevant conditions in the ageing population of Singapore. Subsyndromal depression and anxiety in older adults is estimated at 20-50% of the population and often go undetected despite adverse effects on quality of life (Preisig et al., 2001), suicidality (Sadek and Bona, 2000), disability and inappropriate usage of medical services (de Beurs et al., 1999; Wagner et al., 2000), and cognition (Yoachim et al., 2013). BRIGHT is an early intervention group coaching programme to empower older adults to self-manage physical and mental health ailments so as to decrease healthcare utilization and expenditure. This paper aims to present the findings from three pilot runs of BRIGHT with older adults in the community setting.Methodology:BRIGHT consists of 4 half-day workshops with both didactic and interactive components that leverage on the group-based therapy setting to promote psychoeducation, self-reflection, and reminiscence. This was delivered by a multidisciplinary team comprising psychiatrists, psychologists, and medical social workers. Simple digital literacy skills were taught and a mobile application to promote active lifestyles was utilized.Groups are kept small at less than 15 participants each who were referred from community partners. They have been screened for subclinical depression and anxiety using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI), 12-item Short Form Survey (SF-12), and Health Confidence Score (HCS). The same scales were administered again immediately upon completion of the programme to capture (1) reduction in depressive and anxiety symptoms, (2) quality of life, (3) improvement in health confidence, and (4) participant satisfaction.Result:Average participant satisfaction was 82.2% - most qualitative feedback was positive but one group preferred the sessions to be conducted in Mandarin instead of English. GDS, GAI, HCS, and SF12 PCS scores improved by an average of 2.285, 0.969, 0.685, and 1.733 respectively. However, SF12 MCS scores decreased by an average of 1.795.Conclusion:Preliminary quantitative data shows that BRIGHT appears to be an effective early intervention modality for older adults with subclinical depressive and anxiety symptoms. After an iterative process of refining the programme content, plans are underway to “train the trainers” so as to increase scale and sustainability.

Results from multidisciplinary patient‐centered program implemented in a psychogeriatric unit in Brazil

AbstractBackgroundPatient and families/caregivers centered care programs reduce the negative impact of hospitalizations in old age and improve health outcomes. We started an individual‐centered multidisciplinary program that contemplated hospitalization and day‐hospital care at Institute of Psychiatry USP Medical School, Brazil in march 2022 .Our program involves specific goals for inpatients and family members / caregiver’s integrating pharmacology and a multidisciplinary approach.MethodOur program involves interventions during the hospitalization, day‐hospital and transition to outpatient care. Individual specific needs are assessed at the admission, and an individualized specific plan centered on patient and caregiver is designed and carried on. The therapeutic program provides patients cognitive and functional stimulation and caregivers training in order to adapt to behavior changes and together develop a successful daily routine care at home. The multidisciplinary team involves: medical team, nurse, psychologist, speech therapist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, nutritionist and social worker. The intervention involves psychoeducation, cognitive and social stimulation/training for patients and/or caregivers/family in groups (60‐90 min), 5‐days a week, twice a day and individual sessions. Assessments include clinical and sociodemographic data, days of hospitalization, clinical global impression, MADRAS, MMSE and KATZ scales.ResultThere were 61 consecutive admissions in the 10 months after the program implementation, main diagnosis at admission were depression and dementia . The mean age was 69,73, gender 40 female, 21 male, average hospital stay was 26,66 (inpatient unit), bed turnover 85,81%. Zero patient was readmitted in a period of 30 days after discharge. Admission mean: CGI 4,98, MADRAS 17,66,MMSSE 16,43 KATZ 3,98 and discharge: CGI 3,47,MADRAS 7,26. MMSSE 19,4.KATZ 4,36 .The reduction in CGI 31,3%, Madras 58,89% and improvement in MMSE 18%, KATZ 9,5%.ConclusionOur findings demonstrated confirmed that a patient‐centered program results in improvement in cognition, basic activities of daily life and reduction of depressive symptoms. The present intervention provides consistent recovery of hospitalization. It is an important strategy to improve health quality and recovery for old age psychiatric patients.Descriptors: psychiatry; aging; multiprofessional intervention

Research on the Intervention of Medical Social Work in End-of-life Care Services for Terminally Ill Cancer Patients: A Perspective Based on Chinese Family Culture

Research on the Intervention of Medical Social Work in End-of-life Care Services for Terminally Ill Cancer Patients: A Perspective Based on Chinese Family Culture

Feasibility and Implementation of an out-of-Pocket Cost Calculator for Pre-Treatment Financial Counselling in Cancer Patients

Introduction Public healthcare in Singapore is funded by a combination of subsidies, insurance, which includes national basic coverage (MediShield, MSL) and optional private coverage, pensions (MediSave, MSV) and out of pocket (OOP) costs. In Sep 2022, spiraling cancer costs led to a shift in national policy with the introduction of a Cancer Drug List (CDL) of cost-effective treatments. OOP costs are now determined by multiple factors such as subsidy status, financial resources, insurance claim limits, residency status, drug subsidy tier, therapeutic indication, dose and cost. To simplify this complex manual process, we developed ChemoCalc, a digital calculator for individualized OOP estimates. We hypothesize that it will increase OOP cost estimate accuracy, improve efficiency and have high uptake. Methods The study was performed in a Singapore tertiary cancer center. ChemoCalc was developed with a multi-disciplinary team comprising physicians, pharmacists, operations administrators, patient service associates and medical social workers. Data sources were consolidated and hierarchical logic determined for calculating regimen and patient-specific OOP cost. Data sources included the CDL, hospital formulary, chemotherapy protocols, chemotherapy facility fees and various national subsidy schemes. These were encoded into an algorithm by a third-party developer. The user interface and experience (UI/UX) was envisioned by the team with iterations based on feasibility testing. FCs were trained on using ChemoCalc and data was collected pre and post-ChemoCalc implementation. Feasibility outcomes were demand, acceptability, practicality and integration (the extent to which ChemoCalc could be deployed in a secure hospital IT environment). These were assessed through employee focus groups (FG). Reporting officers were not present during the FG. Implementation outcomes were adoption (percentage of eligible users using ChemoCalc for FC), engagement (percentage of returning users), efficiency (median time taken to perform FC) and accuracy (percentage of bills which are within ±10% of the FC estimate). For accuracy, 10 bills were randomly selected each month and compared against the pre-treatment FC. Results Prior to the development of ChemoCalc, the demand for automated FC was identified through employee engagement. ChemoCalc (Figure 1) was developed and iterated from Aug - Sep 2022. Feasibility assessment identified that simplicity underscored a good UI/UX. To reduce UI clutter and improve ease-of-use, an algorithm was encoded to ensure that only variables relevant to a particular regimen need to be entered (Figure 2). All data fields were accessible via the hospital electronic medical record. The final version of ChemoCalc was deemed acceptable and practical by FG. It was integrated into the hospital environment seamlessly and accessible from all hospital computers and personal mobile devices. Data collection for implementation outcomes took place from 1 Oct 2022 to 31 Mar 2023. ChemoCalc was used by 72 different members of staff from all job groups. On average, the prices of 2,484 regimens (mean 11 regimens per patient) were generated each month, with a total of 17,385 price estimates generated. 91% of price estimates were for subsidized patients and 9% for private patients. For staff performing FC, the adoption and engagement rate was 100%. ChemoCalc improved efficiency for the FC process with an accuracy of 95% (baseline 35%, 270% increase). Time spent computing OOP reduced from a median of 8 min (range 4.5 - 13) to 44 seconds (range 15 - 20) for simple regimens, and 23 min (range 15.5 - 44) to 1 min (range 0.3 - 1.3) for complex regimens respectively. Due to the convenience and simplicity, there was 100% uptake for pre-treatment FC, as staff have been able to process more FC requests and spend more time addressing patients' financial concerns. It has also allowed patients to compare costs of different treatment regimens. Conclusion The implementation of ChemoCalc was successful with 100% adoption rate and significantly improved efficiency and accuracy. ChemoCalc's algorithm can easily be adjusted to accommodate country- or institution-specific reimbursements for implementation elsewhere. Further studies are required to investigate if pre-treatment FC addresses financial toxicity or influences healthcare costs.

Violence and trauma encountered by Rohingya women fleeing to Malaysia: a qualitative study.

Rohingya women are doubly marginalized owing to their ethnicity and gender. Therefore, this study aims to describe the unique experiences of violence faced by Rohingya women who fled Myanmar and Bangladesh to seek asylum in Malaysia before, during, and after their transit. Primary data were collected from 33 participants comprising Rohingya women refugees and asylum seekers, medical social workers, medical officials, volunteer workers/activists, refugee organization officers, and a mental health care provider. Thematic analysis was used to identify the patterns in and relationships between the concepts in the collected data.Rohingya women were exposed tovarious forms of violence and trauma by various groups of men, including those from their own community,throughout their journey to and in Malaysia. The lack of recognition of refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia prevents them from having mainstream or legal access to jobs, education, and healthcare, and this predicament compounds their suffering from violence, especially for women and girls. Rohingya women and girls in Malaysia need better access to healthcare, resources, and support to identify and address violence, which has a significant impact on their health.

Implementation of VA care coordination program to improve transitional care for veterans post-non-VA hospital discharge: an incremental cost analysis.

The Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System Community Hospital Transitions Program (CHTP) was implemented as a nurse-led intervention to reduce barriers that patients experience when transitioning from community hospitals to VA primary care settings. A previous analysis indicated that veterans who enrolled in CHTP received timely follow-up care and communications that improved care coordination, but did not examine cost implications for the VA. A budget impact analysis used the VA (payer) perspective. CHTP implementation team members and study records identified key resources required to initially implement and run the CHTP. Statistical analysis of program participants and matched controls at two study sites was used to estimate incremental VA primary care costs per veteran. Using combined program implementation, operations, and healthcare cost estimates to guide key model assumptions, overall CHTP costs were estimated for a 5-year time horizon, including a discount rate of 3%, annual inflation of 2.5%, and a sensitivity analysis that considered two options for staffing the program at VA Medical Center (VAMC) sites. Implementation at two VAMCs required 3 months, including central program support and site-level onboarding, with costs of $34,094 (range: $25,355-$51,602), which included direct and indirect resource costs of personnel time, materials, space, and equipment. Subsequent annual costs to run the program at each site depended heavily on the staffing mix and caseload of veterans, with a baseline estimate of $193,802 to $264,868. Patients enrolled in CHTP had post-hospitalization VA primary care costs that were higher than matched controls. Over 5 years, CHTP sites staffed to serve 25-30 veterans per full-time equivalent transition team member per month had an estimated budget impact of $625 per veteran served if the transitional team included a medical social worker to support veterans with more social behavioral needs and less complex medical cases or $815 per veteran if nurses served all cases. Evidence-based care coordination programs that support patients' return to VA primary care after a community hospital stay are feasible to implement and run. Further, flexibility in staffing this type of program is increasingly relevant as the VA and other healthcare systems consider methods to reduce provider burnout, optimize staffing, reduce costs, and address other staffing challenges while improving patient care.

Advancing the need for medical social workers in paediatric wards at a public health hospital in South Africa

Whilst the literature related to social work services with children is extant, little is devoted to medical social work with regards to children in a hospital context. Moreover, empirical research related to medical social work is scant in South Africa. Using a qualitative research approach data was collected from health professionals, working in a paediatric ward, at a public health hospital in KwaZulu- Natal. The objective was to understand the experiences of paediatric patients and their parents and the potential role of social service professionals in paediatric wards. Semi-structured in depth interviews were conducted with a sample of eleven paediatricians, nurses and occupational therapists. The study found a huge gap in the paediatric ward with regards to psycho-social support services and the need for medical social workers.

Families’ social security and benefit needs when a child is diagnosed with cancer

Abstract When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the need for health and social services and benefits increases significantly within the family. Illness changes everyday life due to medical treatments, worry and financial challenges due to parents’ absence from work. Previous research shows that higher socioeconomic status correlates with better survival for cancer patients in Finland and abroad. The purpose of the study is to reveal the factors behind the disparate cancer outcomes among children from different backgrounds. Our aim is to build a comprehensive understanding of how families utilize services and mobilize their own social capital. The research approach is qualitative. Parents, whose child was diagnosed with cancer within 4 years, were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed with a narrative approach. The interview data was utilised in conjubction with participants’ data from the benefit register of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (KELA). Thus, both subjective experiences and register data provide a holistic picture of families’ needs and benefit use. All families utilized more than one social benefit provided by KELA. In addition, families utilized social services and benefits provided by the municipality and patient organizations. Parents reported advice received from hospital social workers and rehabilitation counsellors very important. Social benefits and services cover only part of the families’ needs. In addition, parents reported need for concrete support such as help in household duties. The results allow for comparison among families and their social capital, e.g. the support they received from their relatives and friends. The study shows that families have a wide array of service and benefit needs when a child is diagnosed with cancer. The study helps benefit and service providers understand how families differ in their service and benefit needs and in their ability to mobilize support from their own network. Key messages • Families have a wide array of service and benefit needs when a child gets cancer. • Families differ in how they mobilize support from relatives and friends during child's illness.

Nutrition Care after Hospital Discharge in Singapore: Evidence-Based Best-Practice Recommendations.

The nutritional status of hospitalised patients is often at risk or compromised and predisposed to further deterioration after discharge, leading to poor clinical outcomes, high healthcare costs, and poor quality of life. This paper aims to provide evidence-based best-practice recommendations to address this, supported by a national survey of healthcare professionals in Singapore and reviewed by a multidisciplinary expert panel under the Sarcopenia Interest Group of Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition Singapore (SingSPEN). We advocate screening all patients with a validated tool which includes a disease activity/burden component, an easily accessible dietitian referral pathway for patients at risk of malnutrition, and an individualised nutrition care plan formulated and delivered using a multidisciplinary team approach for patients at risk or with malnutrition. A comprehensive team would include not only dietitians but also physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, speech therapists, and medical social workers working together towards a common goal. Information on why nutrition is important for good health and how it can be achieved should also be provided to all patients and their caregivers before and after hospital discharge. With the above recommendations, we seek to improve upon the current nutrition care processes at discharge for healthcare institutions in Singapore.

Designing and compiling the protocol of specialized interventions of hospital social workers in crisis situations in Iran

This article aims to explain the process of social worker interventions in emergency response situations in Iran. Content analysis techniques were used to analyze the experiences of hospital social workers (n = 40). The nominal group technique was used to design and compile the process (n = 10). Focus group discussion and the AGREE guidance critique technique were conducted in the presence of experts. In this study, the process of providing specialized interventions of hospital social workers in crisis situations, the challenges, and professional roles were identified. The principles and basis of work in crisis situations are similar, but at the same time, each one needs special consideration.

The Role of Chinese Medical Social Workers in a Children’s Hospital: A Qualitative Study

The Role of Chinese Medical Social Workers in a Children’s Hospital: A Qualitative Study

Hastane Afet Yönetim Sürecinde Tıbbi Sosyal Hizmet Uygulamaları: Kahramanmaraş Depremleri Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme

Dünyanın birçok yerinde deprem, sel gibi doğa olayları ya da insan eliyle gerçekleşen afet olayları can kayıplarına sebep olmakta; bu durum da toplumları birçok açıdan olumsuz etkilemektedir. Türkiye, afetler konusunda acı tecrübelere sahip ülkelerdendir. 6 Şubat 2023 tarihinde gerçekleşen ve yüzyılın felaketi olarak adlandırılan Kahramanmaraş Pazarcık ve Elbistan Depremleri afet yönetim süreçlerinin önemini bir kez daha göstermiştir. Sağlık tesisleri afetlerde yoğun hizmetler sunan kuruluşlardır. Acil müdahale ve tıbbi bakımla birlikte sağlık tesisleri afetten etkilenen kişilere çeşitli psikososyal hizmetler sunmaktadır. Sosyal hizmet uzmanları, sağlık tesislerinde psikososyal müdahale ekiplerinin önemli bir parçasıdır. Barınma, korunma, sosyal bakım ve psikososyal destek gibi temel ihtiyaçların karşılanmasında ve farklı vaka yönetim süreçlerinde sosyal hizmet uzmanları; depremden etkilenen bireyler ve aileleriyle ilk teması sağlayabilecek ve hastane ortamında gerçekleştireceği mesleki müdahaleleriyle müracaatçılarını toplum kaynaklarıyla buluşturabilecek meslek profesyonelleridir. Bu bağlamda çalışmanın amacı, Kahramanmaraş Depremleri sonrası sağlık kuruluşlarında, afetten etkilenen bireylerin ve dezavantajlı grupların psikososyal ihtiyaçlarına odaklanmak ve gerçekleştirilebilecek sosyal hizmet müdahalelerini literatür ışığında tartışmaktadır. Sonuç olarak afet ve risk yönetiminde hastane temelli psikososyal ve ekonomik destekler, kişilerin erken dönemde ihtiyaçlarının karşılanmasına katkı sağlayacaktır.