Social Work in the Oncology Setting Compared to Social Work in General Medical Settings

An Analysis of Findings From a Multisite Australian Social Work Practice Audit

Bibliographic Data

ID11957650
AuthorsLynette Joubert (0000-0002-1034-817X, The University of Melbourne, corresponding author), Alison Hocking (The University of Melbourne), Catherine Ludbrooke (The University of Melbourne), Joan Fang (The University of Melbourne), Grahame Simpson (0000-0001-8156-9060, Griffith University)
Year2022
Volume75
Issue2
Pages152-164
Publication date2022-03-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAustralian Social Work (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0312-407X • E-ISSN: 1447-0748
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0312407x.2022.2028874
OpenAlexW4220665211
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited23

Oncology social work provides services to individuals, groups, families, caregivers, and communities. As part of a larger audit of social work activities across 17 Victorian health services, a subanalysis was conducted to investigate social work practice in oncology (n = 49) compared to general medicine settings (n = 55). Social workers in oncology were more likely to address issues of adjustment to the condition, anxiety, and finances. Social workers in general medicine more frequently focused on dementia, elder abuse, and transition of clients to Residential Assisted Care. Oncology social workers conducted higher frequencies of interventions involving advocacy, brief or single session intervention, and counselling compared to general medicine, where discharge planning was significantly more common. Finally, oncology social workers were more likely to have used a narrative or supportive care model compared to the general medicine group. These findings can help better target training and upskilling of social workers for practice in different healthcare settings.IMPLICATIONS Audits of practice assist to describe the complex array of issues addressed by social work both within oncology and the broader healthcare settings.Identifying key interventions and emphases pertaining to oncology provides a focus for future evaluation of the effectiveness of social work practice across key domains within oncology.Better understanding of practice can lay the groundwork for targeted training programs to enhance social worker knowledge and skills in oncology and broader healthcare

Audit · Health care · Management · Medical education · Political science · Psychological intervention · Cancer survivorship and care · Family Support in Illness · Medicine · Nursing · Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues · Psychology · Social Work · Internal Medicine · Oncology