Social Work And Hospice Outcomes: A Case Study

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Relationships between Social Work Involvement and Hospice Outcomes (Mayra)
It can be hard to define the role of a social worker when it comes to end of life care. On the other hand, the role of nurses, home caregivers, and physicians is readily discernable. Because of this many hospice programs, in an effort to save costs, tend to reduce the number of social workers and increase the number of nurses/caregivers/physicians. Not only is this detrimental to the hospice patients and overworked social workers, but also in fact studies show that having fewer social workers actually increases costs. If the U.S. hospice industry would properly evaluate the benefits that social workers bring to hospice care, they could not only reduce their costs, but …show more content…

(Reese & Raymer, 2004). First, many of the hospice patients complained that physicians do not pay enough attention to them or their treatment. (Reese & Raymer, 2004). Because one of the primary roles of a social worker is to facilitate communication between the patient and the caregivers, having a social worker on staff ensures that the patient’s interests are being met and that someone is available to advocate for the patient’s needs. (Reese & Raymer, 2004). Second, social workers are uniquely trained in dealing with family dynamics and can intervene or prevent a crisis between family members or caregivers and the patient, which a nurse is not trained to deal with. (Reese & Raymer, 2004). Lastly, social workers can serve as the team facilitator in ensuring that the team is working well together to efficiently meet the patient’s needs and therefore improving the quality of life of the nurses and caregivers. (Reese & Raymer, …show more content…

(Reese & Raymer, 2004). For example, if a patient is feeling anxious this not only affects them mentally, but the patient may start to experience physical symptoms as a result. This could lead to more contact with the nurse, potential hospital visits, and an increase in pain costs, all of which are very expensive. Having a social worker present allows the psychosocial needs to be met first, decreasing the likelihood that they will rise to the level of physical medical intervention. If the nurses, caregivers, and physicians are not needed as often to intervene in non-medical crises the amounts of home visits necessary decreases and therefore there is a reduction in overall costs for the

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