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

Datos Bibliográficos

ID11957650
AutoresLynette Joubert (0000-0002-1034-817X, The University of Melbourne, autor de correspondencia), 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)
Año2022
Volumen75
Número2
Páginas152-164
Fecha de publicación2022-03-06
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAustralian Social Work (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0312-407X • E-ISSN: 1447-0748
EditorialTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0312407x.2022.2028874
OpenAlexW4220665211
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas23

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