Social Care Workers Research Articles

Reliability and Validity of the Greek Version of the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-V).

Background:Compassion constitutes a central element of all health and social care professions. The Professional Quality of Life Questionnaire is the most widely used instrument to measure compassion fatigue worldwide.Objective:The aim of this study was to provide evidence for the reliability and the validity of ProQOL-V for Greece.Methods:A total of 261 nurses selected by convenience sampling and required to complete the ProQOL and Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS). The reliability and validity of the scale was evaluated by correlation analysis, t-test, and confirmatory factor analysis.Results:The overall Cronbach’s a for Compassion Satisfaction was 0.87 ranging from 0.86 to 0.87 with individual items deleted, for Burn-out was 0.73 ranging from 0.71 to 0.79 with individual items deleted and for Secondary Traumatic Stress was 0.83 ranging from 0.81 to 0.84 with individual items deleted. Additionally, the Pearson correlation r for Compassion Satisfaction, Burn-out and Secondary Traumatic Stress showed strong correlations between test-retest measurements (p<0.001). Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burn-out were positively correlated to STSS as expected (r=0.69 for Secondary Traumatic Stress and r=0.57 for Burn-out) implying sufficient convergent validity. In contrast, Compassion Satisfaction was negatively correlated to STSS as expected (r=-0.25) implying sufficient divergent validity. Goodness-of-fit indices included TLI=0.856, CFI=0.895, and RMSEA=0.063 supporting the construct validity of the three-dimensional instrument.Conclusion:ProQOL-V has good reliability and validity among nurses in Greece. The implications of relevant future research are important in relation to the health care management and the support and continuous education of front-line health and social care workers.

Patients' perception of medical communication and their needs during the stay in the intensive care unit.

ObjetivoConhecer a percepção de pacientes sobre a comunicação médica, bem como suas necessidades durante internação na unidade de cuidados intensivos.MétodosEstudo transversal descritivo e qualitativo exploratório, com 103 pacientes internados ou com alta recente da unidade de cuidados intensivos de quatro hospitais da Grande Florianópolis (SC). Foram estudadas variáveis sociodemográficas e clínicas dos pacientes, sua nota para qualidade da comunicação médica pelo Quality of Communication Questionnaire, seus comentários espontâneos com reflexões ou justificativas para as notas dadas e suas respostas sobre como se sentiam e que ajuda complementar gostariam de receber. Os dados quantitativos foram analisados com estatística descritiva e analítica e os qualitativos com análise de conteúdo temática.ResultadosA média do Quality of Communication Questionnaire foi 5,1 (desvio-padrão - DP = 1,3), sendo 8,6 (DP = 1,3) na subescala de comunicação geral e 2,1 (DP =1,8) na de terminalidade de vida. A linguagem médica teve compreensão variável. Alguns médicos pareciam “apressados”, segundo alguns pacientes. Outros pacientes gostariam de informações mais frequentes e detalhadas e/ou serem respeitados e levados “mais a sério” quando referiam sentir dor. Ansiedade, tristeza e/ou medo estavam entre os sentimentos referidos. Outras necessidades abrangeram silêncio, mais tempo para visitas, presença de acompanhante, atenção psicológica e de serviço social, banheiro que pudessem usar e melhor qualidade da comida na unidade de cuidados intensivos.ConclusãoA qualidade da comunicação médica com os pacientes é boa e poderia melhorar com maior disponibilidade de tempo do médico e da equipe para ela. Outras necessidades sentidas incluem respeito, alívio da dor e adaptações na dinâmica e no ambiente da unidade de cuidados intensivos.

Inculcation of the values of character education in the process of learning mathematics in grade VII SMP 10 Bengkulu City

This study is intended to solve the problem of how to instill the values of character education in the background with the rise of people who begin to do dishonorable acts, such as the law to moral degredation, and therefore the need for the integration of the values of character education. These problems were discussed through a field study conducted at SMP 10 Bengkulu City. Research data obtained by free interviews and observations. All data were analyzed using a phenomenological approach and descriptive analysis using induction logic, deduction and reflection. The results showed that the values of character education contained in grade VII mathematics materials included the values of religious character, good personality, social care, honesty and hard work. The way the teacher instills the values of these characters is by getting used to reading prayers before and after learning, encouraging learning and giving questions with a level of difficulty that gives challenges to students.

Qualitative experiences of primary health care and social care professionals with refugee-like migrants and former quota refugees in New Zealand.

Former quota refugees are known to have higher health and social care needs than the general population in resettlement countries. However, migrants with a refugee-like background (refugee-like migrants) in New Zealand are not currently offered systematic government-sponsored induction or health services. This study explored the experiences of New Zealand health and social care providers in general practice. Staff at two Wellington region general practices with known populations of refugee-like migrants and former quota refugees were approached to participate in an exploratory qualitative study. Semistructured audio-recorded interviews and focus groups were undertaken. Deductive and inductive analyses were used to identify key themes. Twelve interviews were undertaken with professionals with backgrounds in clinical pharmacy, cross-cultural work, general practice medicine, primary care nursing, reception and social work. Key themes from the interviews were communication challenges, organisational structure and teamwork, considerations to best meet core health and support needs, and the value of contextual knowledge. Healthcare workers perceived many similarities between working with refugee-like migrants and working with former quota refugees. Even though communication challenges were addressed, there were still barriers affecting the delivery of core health and support services. Primary care practices should focus on organisational structure to provide high-quality, contextually informed, interprofessional team-based health and social care.

Partnership between Primary Health and Social Care Services in the Long-Term Care of Older People with Dementia: A Vignette Study.

Dementia is considered to be a significant cause of disability and dependency for older people worldwide and it raises difficulties in providing adequate formal and informal assistance. Research on the experience of long-term care (LTC)services for older people with dementia is scarce in Eastern European countries. This study aimed to understand the system of care for older people with dementia from the perspective of health and social care workers providing LTC services in Lithuania. A total of 72 primary health care and social care professionals from public and private institutions in Kaunas city participated in this study. One-to-one interviews were conducted with family physicians, community nurses, psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, and social workers. A vignette situation of 2 fictitious patients with dementia and their informal caregiver was discussed during the interviews. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis by induction approach. The data revealed 2 main themes: LTC provision trajectory, and three-dimensional relationship perception in realization of LTC activities. LTC provision trajectory reflected activities performed as a response to the described situation embracing formal procedures for the endorsement of LTC needs as well as the range of LTC services. The three-dimensional perception of relationships in LTC services’ implementation reflected the participants’ personal approach toward LTC, relationship with different specialists, and the informal caregiver. Our study revealed the potential of complex measures that could be instrumental for the refinement of the caregiving process. First, a change in the additional care requirements endorsement logic is needed, shifting focus from medical diagnosis to functional abilities assessment. Second, to establish clear procedures for formal cooperation between the health and social care sectors in the trajectory of LTC service provision. Finally, to find an adequate balance between LTC and institutional care by creating a more comprehensive range of LTC services. A more consistent and coordinated delivery of services by both health and social care sectors seems to be an untapped resource for the improvement of the LTC potential.

Almost 60% of frontline healthcare workers experienced mental health disorder during first lockdown

More than half of the UK’s frontline health and social care workers experienced a mental health disorder during the first COVID-19 lockdown, according to a study in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology. And more than a fifth of the staff, which included pharmacists, met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers at University College […]

The Essence of Accommodating Older Adults into the Social Care Sector in Malaysia

Population ageing puts pressure on the workforce and increase the demands for aged workforce. The demographic shifts have made the issue of healthier workers, especially those of advanced age and physically related job scopes, a fundamental aspect to employing older workers. Hence, this study aimed to explore the best practices to employ older adults into the social care sector. The social care sector was chosen in view of the nature of job and declining demand among younger workers. A qualitative study was conducted involving series of focus group discussions (FGD) with social care workers of long-term care centers in the peninsular Malaysia. Data was collected using a validated and pre-tested semi-structured interview protocol. Each focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were lasted between 45 min to 1 h. A total of 57 workers were consented for the study which was divided into young and old workers based on the mean age of 41.43 [SD ± 9.97] years old. The content of the interviews was transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was performed to inductively identify the coding and themes within the data related to the challenges employing older workers into the social care sector. Three categories of coding were identified (individual, environmental and management factors), leading to the identification of two important themes which are healthy workplace and work autonomy. The findings indicate the needs for work culture transformations to cultivate healthy working environment and freedom of speech particularly among the older workers.

Primary Care Social Work Practice with Older Adult Veterans During the Covid-19 Pandemic: An Application of Ecological Systems Theory

In March 2020, The state of New York became the American epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic with the most vulnerable of populations including older adults being affected. As a result of the Government shut-down to slow the spread of Covid-19, many primary care social workers, including this writer pivoted to remote telework detail on short notice. While utilizing an ecological systems theoretical framework, this article will explore how primary care social workers in the Veterans Health Administration worked through the Covid-19 pandemic to effectively provide social work services and case management to older adult Veterans.

Video Intervention to Increase Knowledge About and Interest in Palliative Care Among MSW Students

As the population ages and more people live longer with chronic and life-limiting illnesses, more healthcare professionals with palliative care skills are needed. Social workers are part of the palliative care team, but there is little, if any, content on palliative and end-of-life care in MSW programs. A 24-minute video featuring nine palliative and hospice social workers was produced with two goals: 1) increase knowledge of social work students about palliative and end-of-life care; and 2) interest social work students in a career in palliative social work. MSW students from three schools, in NY and Alabama, viewed the video. After viewing the video, 94 students participated in the mixed methods study, completing the brief, anonymous, online survey. The mean level of understanding about what palliative social workers do, rated from 1 (no understanding) to 5 (very good understanding), was 2.96 (SD=.99) before viewing the video and 4.31 (SD=.61) after, for an increase of 1.35 points (95% CI=1.14, 1.55) (p<.001). The mean level of interest in a career in palliative care social work and working with seriously ill persons and their family members, rated from 1 (Not at all interested) to 5 (Extremely interested), was 2.52 (SD=.99) before viewing the video and 3.45 SD=.80) after, for an increase of .91 points (95% CI=.79, 1.07) (p<.001). Qualitative data supporting the quantitative findings will be presented. This study suggests that a video intervention may be an effective tool to increase knowledge and interest in palliative and end-of-life care among social work students.

'People with intellectual disabilities living in the communities is bad enough let alone…having sex': Exploring societal influence on social care workers' attitudes, beliefs and behaviours towards support for personal and sexual relationship needs.

Services have a duty to uphold the personal and sexual relationship (P&SR) rights of adults with intellectual disability. However, little is known about how social care workers' (SCWs) perceptions of public views of intellectual disability and sexuality might affect their attitudes, believes and behaviours towards supporting P&SR needs. This exploratory study addresses this gap in knowledge. Qualitative interviews using critical incident technique were conducted with 18 SCWs. Data were transcribed and thematically analysed. Four dominant themes were identified; socio-cultural, practice-policy gaps, fear and safety needs. These highlights how perceptions of public attitudes impact on SCWs' attitudes towards supporting development of P&SR both directly and through perceptions of organisational policies. This leads to prioritisation of safety needs over support for P&SR. Public expectations strongly influenced SCWs' interpretation of organisational policy, emphasising a need for practice-based support to manage public expectations and reduce fear.

Características y evolución de los pacientes COVID-19 en un centro de salud urbano al inicio de la pandemia

ObjetiveTo evaluate SAR-COV-2 pacients’ features. To analyse de diferences between those who required hospital care and those who didn’t. DesignObservational, descriptive and retrospective study. SettingTwomedical practices of an urban health center in Salamanca (Spain). Participants≥18 years diagnosed with SAR-CoV-2 between March 11th and April 20th. Main measurementsclinical-epidemiological chatacteristics, diagnosis, treatment and outcome at the end of study Results122 patients (63.9% female), 19.7% social and health care workers y 4.9% from nursing homes. Predominant age group: 46-60 years. 67.2% without comorbility. Predomint symptoms: low-grade fever (73.5%), cough (65.2%) y fever (43%). Average age of the patients requiring hospital care was higher: 59.85 (DE16.22) versus 50.78 (DE17.88) P=.013. 63.6% of all the patients monitored by Primary Health Care and 14.1% of patients that required assistance did not present dyspnea P=.001. Only 2.5% of the hospital-assisted patients, compared to 61.5% of Primary Health Care, were not tested P=.0001. 26 patients were attendedn at an emergency room: 11(9%) stayed and 2 (1.6%) passed away. No antibiotic or inhaler treatment for 52.5% and 70.5% respectively. The most used antipyretic treatment was paracetamol (78.7%). ConclusionsPrevalence in females, comorbility-free patients and in age range: 46-60 years. Complementary and confirmatory test were performed mainly in hospital care. Predominance of mild symptoms and favourable evolution. Highliting the role played by Primary Health Care in detection, early intervention and monitoring of severe cases.

Occupation and risk of severe COVID-19: prospective cohort study of 120 075 UK Biobank participants

ObjectivesTo investigate severe COVID-19 risk by occupational group.MethodsBaseline UK Biobank data (2006–10) for England were linked to SARS-CoV-2 test results from Public Health England (16 March to 26 July 2020)....

Evaluation of Latent Fingerprints for Drug Screening in a Social Care Setting.

Sweat deposited via latent fingerprints (LFPs) was previously used to detect cocaine, opioids, cannabis and amphetamine via a point-of-care test (POCT). This screening method combined non-invasive sampling with a rapid result turnaround to produce a qualitative result outside of the laboratory. We report the novel application of a LFP drug screening test in a social care setting. Clients were tested on either an ad hoc or a routine basis using the POCT DOA114 (Intelligent Fingerprinting Ltd) drug screening cartridge. Screening cutoff values were 45, 35 and 95 pg/fingerprint for benzoylecgonine (BZE), morphine and amphetamine analytes, respectively. Confirmation LFP samples (DOA150, Intelligent Fingerprinting Ltd) and oral fluid (OF) were analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Thirty-six clients aged 36 ± 11 years participated (53% females). Individuals self-reported alcohol consumption (39%) and smoking (60%). Of 131 screening tests collected over 8 weeks, 14% tested positive for cocaine, 2% tested positive for opioids and 1% tested positive for amphetamine. Polydrug use was indicated in 10% of tests. Of 32 LFP confirmation tests, 63% were positive for cocaine and BZE. Opioids were also detected (31%), with the metabolite 6-monoacetylmorphine (6-MAM) being the most common (16%). In OF, cocaine was the dominant analyte (9%) followed by 6-MAM (5%). On comparing positive LFP screening tests with positive OF samples, we found that 39% and 38% were cocaine and opiate positive, respectively. Of the drugs screened for via the LFP POCT, cocaine was the most prevalent analyte in LFP and OF confirmation samples. The study is a step change in the routine drug screening procedures in a social care setting, especially useful for on-site cocaine detection in clients whose drug use was being monitored. Additionally, testing was easily accepted by clients and social care workers.

Reflection and you

This article explores the important activity of reflection and reflective practice. Support workers and nursing associates, as well as all healthcare professionals, have a responsibility to reflect upon their own practice, identifying not only areas of good practice but also where improvements can be made. The article starts by defining what reflection and reflective practice are. The requirement to reflect is clearly laid down within the recently amended Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code for nursing associates ( NMC, 2018 ) and is implied within the Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers and Adult Social Care Workers in England ( Skills for Care and Skills for Health, 2013 ). Relevant sections of these two codes will be highlighted. The article will then move on to highlight two reflective models, the Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle, and Driscoll's (2007) Model of Structured Reflection, both of which are commonly used today. Clinical supervision will be discussed and the importance of recording reflections will be emphasised.

Understanding the nursing process

Support staff work closely with their patients and members of the multidisciplinary team to deliver high-quality care. Often this care will have been planned by a nurse using ‘the nursing process’. It is therefore important for the support worker to understand how the patient has been assessed and that the care they are providing has been planned. Within this article, the author will be discussing the nursing process, explaining the different stages and how these are used to deliver quality care. Relevant sections of the Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers and Adult Social Care Workers in England ( Skills for Care and Skills for Health, 2013 ) will be highlighted. Support workers have a clear and important role in making sure the nursing process is successful and patients receive the best quality care.

Children living with parental substance misuse: A cross‐sectional profile of children and families referred to children's social care

AbstractParental substance misuse is a significant public health and children's rights issue. In the United Kingdom, social workers frequently work with children and families affected by substance misuse. However, relatively little is known about this population, particularly at point of referral to children's social care. This paper reports on the largest known study of parental substance misuse as a feature of children's social care work in England. The paper provides a cross‐sectional profile of 299 children living with parental substance misuse and referred to children's social care in one local authority in England. Data were collected from social work case files at the point of referral to social care about the child, family, the wider environment, and parental substance misuse. The findings show that children affected by parental substance misuse frequently had other support needs relating to their well‐being and mental health. Children were also likely to be experiencing other parental and environmental risk factors. The significant historical—and in some cases intergenerational—social care involvement for some families indicates potential issues with the capacity of services to meet needs. Recommendations for practice are discussed with a particular focus on the need for early, comprehensive support for children and families.

Age and frailty in COVID-19 vaccine development

Age and frailty in COVID-19 vaccine development

Telehealth, friend and foe for health care social work

The author describes her experience as a health care social worker with the proliferation of telehealth as the standard medium of intervention with patients since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a practicing health care social worker for more than twenty years, she describes the advent of telehealth, her introduction to it, and current experience in her outpatient practice setting. She delineates the surprising benefits it has provided to patients during the pandemic. She also outlines the threats it poses in the increasingly corporatized US health care environment to social work values and the well-being of social work's focal populations, the vulnerable, oppressed, and those living in poverty. She emphasizes the need for vigilance and advocacy by social workers as the pandemic progresses and recedes.

A green social work perspective on social work during the time of COVID-19.

COVID‐19 has challenged social workers to engage with health pandemics and provide essential services in conditions of uncertainty and high risk. They have safeguarded children, older adults and diverse adults in ‘at risk’ groups under tough conditions mediated by digital technologies, adhered to government injunctions, maintained social and physical distancing under lockdown and worked from home remotely. Social workers and social care workers have risen to the challenges, providing services with inadequate personal protective equipment and limited supervision and support. This article highlights the degraded physical environments, socio‐economic and political contexts that intensify precariousness and constraints that neoliberalism imposed on professional capacity before and during this health pandemic. It provides guidelines to protect practitioners and service users. It concludes that practitioners ought to understand zoonotic diseases, environmental concerns, acquire disaster expertise and training, widen their practice portfolio and value their contributions to this pandemic.Key Practitioner Message: • Develop technological skills and innovate to support stressed individuals, safeguard children, adolescents and elders and deal with poverty and unemployment; • Use digital technologies involving peers to explore tricky situations, examine ethical dilemmas through scenario building exercises, and tips for self‐care; • Contribute to environmental protections that prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases like COVID‐19; • Seek supervision and support for disaster‐based training from your line manager.

Where has vulnerability gone?

During Covid-19, health care workers have been vulnerable to death, and at the same time, in response to their vulnerability, heroic. Heroism is one of the most ubiquitous narratives during this pandemic. In this article, I am interested in the juncture between vulnerability and heroism, the discursive privileging of a hero and the implications of this for social workers in health and social care. I use the writings of Judith Butler to ask, where has vulnerability gone? I argue that it is not that vulnerability is erased or suppressed, or comes second in the public imaginary, but rather, vulnerability is reconstituted as heroic and becomes unrecognisable. Vulnerability is an under-examined concept in social work and an analysis of its cultural representation during the outbreak of Covid-19, can contribute to our knowledge about how vulnerability operates in health and social care, as well as how vulnerability conditions the cultural spaces we operate within. Can new insights, provoked by the cultural responses to this pandemic, lead to a reorientation for social work politics and the politics of vulnerability?