Medical social service
Medical social service plays an important role in helping patients and their families to cope with the impact of disease and treatment. Social workers work as part of the health care team in providing assessment and appropriate interventions to help the patient reach the stage of recovery or rehabilitation and quality of life. This includes increasing the benefits that both the patient and the family receive from medical treatments and timely discharge.
The aim of social work is to strengthen and preserve the social aspect while mobilizing strengths and supporting coping capabilities by linking people to vital resources, alleviating environmental pressures, and providing social and psychological education that ensures well-being.
Services provided by social workers
Social workers provide counseling to individuals, groups and families by intervening in solving crises and educating the patient and the family, in addition to consulting with supportive and medical health cadres in developing and implementing treatment plans so that services include all of the following or some of them:
- Educating the patient and the family: to facilitate the understanding of hospital procedures, increase awareness of illness or disability, and overcome life transitions when health conditions require creating an environment suitable for the patient.
- Discharge planning: by discovering and confronting discharge obstacles, allocating resources, defining available options and support, facilitating transfer from one facility to another with a governmental or charitable request, coordinating the transfer, and assisting the patient and his family in preparing them psychologically for the transfer Preventing re-hypnosis for non-medical reasons.
- Supportive care for outpatients: by supporting outpatients and receiving appropriate resources and support in order to raise commitment to treatment and prevent crises or unnecessary hypnosis.
- Consulting: advising or acting as a resource for multidisciplinary teams.
Criteria for referral to a social worker
- When the patient is exposed to a defect that requires individual or family adjustments, such as a life-threatening diagnosis or changes in vital functional capabilities.
- When there are concerns the patient or his or her family does not have sufficient resources, knowledge of official resources for support, or the ability to negotiate complex community systems for appropriate care at home.
- In the event of issues related to the ability of the patient or his family to adapt to health changes such as injuries, anger or misuse, and issues related to safety.
- Issues of the patient's or his family's ability to manage long-term health care, such as difficulties in setting goals, solving problems, and plans for future care
