Talk:Medical social work

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 22 January 2019 and 6 May 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Esocool, Meesh18.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 03:46, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Further reading

• Bruce Martin, & Christine Cashel (Eds.) (2006). Outdoor Leadership: Theory and Practice. Human Kinetics.
• Do We Really Know What Makes Us Healthy? - Gary Taubes, NY Times - ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.243.184.116 (talk) 17:01, 5 December 2016 (UTC)

Someone provide contrast of roles

Health care navigator, Public relations officer, Switchboard operator guidance. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.88.209.225 (talk) 02:23, 25 July 2016 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Global Poverty and Practice

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 21 January 2025 and 16 May 2025. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Sela004 (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Sela004 (talk) 02:52, 9 April 2025 (UTC)

Edits to the "History" and "United States" Sections

Hello! I will be editing the lead of the history section so it is more relevant to the world (since Cabot is mentioned in the lead, but that is more United States history), and then I will be adding more information to the United States section. Sela004 (talk) 19:10, 23 April 2025 (UTC)

Hello! These are my plans for what I plan to add in the next few days to the article (if it is ok and there are no issues with it)! As a summary, I am adding more about the history (from the 1920s to the present) in regards to the role of medical social workers and debates surrounding how they fit into the medical ecosystem. I discuss the roles that the public, hospital administration, physicians, government, and social workers themselves have played in the history of the profession.

note: The citations disappear when I copy and paste what I've written from my sandbox, so I have just indicated them in brackets to correspond to the citations I have added below my writing (and I will change the numbers so they add on to whatever is already previously cited on the article)!

This is what I am adding:

Another movement that inspired the development of medical social work was the charity organization movement, which utilized casework to assist impoverished individuals to pull themselves out of poverty instead of relying on the government to supply basic needs. [1]

At this time, there were 2 prominent medical models, the first being a “clinical medicine model” that focused on medical knowledge, and the second being a more public health and sociology-focused “population medicine model”.[2] Medical social work was perceived to be a bridge between the two models, though itself fit in more with the second model.

Furthermore, Cabot and Cannon’s efforts to introduce medical social work as a profession were met by significant resistance from other health professionals and hospital administration, who disagreed on the need for social services and wanted to exert more control over the healthcare environment.[1] This would launch an ongoing debate regarding the professionalization and legitimacy of medical social work in the US.

Between 1918 and 1939—between the two World Wars—the practice of medicine reverted back to a focus on the “medical model” and technical knowledge.[2] This led to more funding and recognition for physicians, and less of a demand for social services and reform by the public.[2] Consequently, to maintain their position in healthcare settings, medical social workers took on more clinical and technical functions.[1][2]

In this same time period, in 1918, the American Association of Hospital Social Workers was established, officially professionalizing the position.[1][2]This led to the expansion of schools and classes for medical social work.[2][3]

Likewise, in the mid 1920s, the American Hospital Association officially recognized and defined the roles of medical social workers.[2] While Cabot and Cannon initially described medical social workers as “augmenting” the role of the physicians they worked with, the American Hospital Association also described medical social workers as having the responsibilities of “liaison” between patients and providers, and of “educator” for patients.[2] In 1934, the now renamed American Association of Medical Social Workers redefined medical social work as “casework aimed at addressing the relationship between the patient’s disease and social maladjustment”.[1] Over 1600 social work departments were established across hospitals in the US by the late 1930s.[3]

In the 1960s, the evolving status and professionalization of medical social workers coincided with the social and political reforms of the era.[3] Having been previously narrowed to fit into the “medical model”, the public’s call for social change allowed the role of medical social work to broaden to include the “population medicine model”.[2] In 1961, the joint conference between the American Hospital Association and National Association of Social Workers added additional roles to the profession, focused on advocating for the patient and their socio-politico-economic contexts and needs.[2][3]

However, the expansion of the medical social work profession brought challenges from physicians and hospital administrators. Medical social workers continued to be perceived as inferior in the healthcare hierarchy, with their department poorly funded and their value determined by medical professionals.[2] Debates between scholars and medical professionals ensued in regards to how expansive the role of medical social worker should be, and how beneficial they really were.[1]

Until this time, the government had not played a significant role when it came to the status and need for medical social workers. But the public demanded higher quality and affordable healthcare from the government and healthcare institutions, and scholars began to criticize the monopoly that medical professionals had over the current healthcare system.[2] As a result, a variety of legislation passed that increased the need for medical social workers. The Hill-Burton and Kerr-Mills Acts of the 1950s and 1960s expanded the establishment of community hospitals.[3]In 1965, the implementation of Medicare and Medicaid likewise increased more individuals’ access to hospitals.[3] With more individuals with complex needs and lower income backgrounds seeking healthcare, medical social workers were likewise in greater demand to assist with social needs.

Soon after, the 1972 Amendments to the Social Security Act, Health Maintenance Organization and Resources Development Act of 1973, and National Health Planning and Resources Development Act of 1974 were all focused on the further expansion of comprehensive, affordable care—which included social services offered by medical social workers.[2][3] All health professions were held responsible for evaluating and improving various programs and services, including medical social workers.[2]

As these federal programs aimed at expanding access to care for everyone—and especially vulnerable populations—these policies required a new degree of support for navigating medical institutions. Medical social workers became key intermediaries between patients and the increasingly bureaucratic healthcare system. These gains were reflected by another expansion of the role of medical social workers—the “evaluator-researcher” and “consultant”[4]—as described by the American Hospital Association and the National Association of Social Workers in 1976.[2]

In 1984, the Diagnostic Related Groups (DRGs) in the Deficit Reduction Act prompted for more case management and discharge planning, a role that primarily medical social workers took on at the time.[3]This role would later be taken over by nurses.[3] Subsequently, this foreshadowed the negative shift in the status of medical social workers observed in the 1990s. The increased privatization and complexity of healthcare in the 1990s, as well as focus on cost-efficiency endangered the status of medical social work.[3]

In 2010, with another wave of public desire for social and healthcare reform, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) was passed. It focused on “the integration of behavioral health services into primary care.”[5]One of the major focuses of the PPACA was the development of an integrated healthcare model called the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH). [5][6] The framework dictates that the primary care setting as an accessible area to provide medical and social needs to patients.[6] The primary care provider is expected to work with a team of individuals to coordinate care for a variety of needs.[6] With this holistic, interdisciplinary approach, the role of medical social workers once again expanded.

Today, while medical social workers in the United States are prevalent, the integration of the profession in some healthcare settings has proven to be challenging. Medical social workers are often not included in hospital administrative discussions, and are not always recognized as being a component of the healthcare setting. Contemporary scholarly literature has focused on investigating the roles that medical social workers truly play in practice, and how they can better be integrated into the healthcare ecosystem.[4][7]

In recent times, research on healthcare setting dynamics during COVID-19 have suggested a shift in roles for medical social workers.[7] With shortages in healthcare staffing and an influx of patients into hospitals, medical social workers were cited to take on new responsibilities while providing culturally competent care, assistance with basic needs and resources, as well as new needs based on the unique circumstances brought on by the pandemic.[7]

1. Ruth, Betty J.; Marshall, Jamie Wyatt (2017-12). "A History of Social Work in Public Health". American Journal of Public Health. 107 (S3): S236 – S242. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.304005. ISSN 1541-0048. PMC 5731072. PMID 29236533. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
2. Caputi, Marie A. (1978-02-01). "Social Work in Health Care: Past and Future". Health & Social Work. 3 (1): 8–29. doi:10.1093/hsw/3.1.8. ISSN 0360-7283.
3. Reisch, Michael (2012-11-01). "The Challenges of Health Care Reform for Hospital Social Work in the United States". Social Work in Health Care. 51 (10): 873–893. doi:10.1080/00981389.2012.721492. ISSN 0098-1389. PMID 23151284.
4. Fraher, Erin P.; Richman, Erica Lynn; Zerden, Lisa de Saxe; Lombardi, Brianna (2018-06-01). "Social Work Student and Practitioner Roles in Integrated Care Settings". American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 54 (6): S281 – S289. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2018.01.046. ISSN 0749-3797. PMID 29779553.
5. Horevitz, Elizabeth; and Manoleas, Peter (2013-09-01). "Professional Competencies and Training Needs of Professional Social Workers in Integrated Behavioral Health in Primary Care". Social Work in Health Care. 52 (8): 752–787. doi:10.1080/00981389.2013.791362. ISSN 0098-1389. PMID 24028739.
6. Stanhope, Victoria; and McKay, Mary (2015-05-28). "Moving Toward Integrated Health: An Opportunity for Social Work". Social Work in Health Care. 54 (5): 383–407. doi:10.1080/00981389.2015.1025122. ISSN 0098-1389. PMID 25985284. {{cite journal}}: |first2= missing |last2= (help); |first3= missing |last3= (help)
7. Washington, Tiffany; Lewinson, Terri D. (2024-01-11). "Healthcare Social Workers' Scope of Practice during COVID-19". Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland). 12 (2): 174. doi:10.3390/healthcare12020174. ISSN 2227-9032. PMC 10815567. PMID 38255063.

Sela004 (talk) 05:44, 28 April 2025 (UTC)