Medical Social Work

Medical social work is field practice of Social work. It is also called as psychiatric social work. Medical
social work deals with psychological and social functioning of patients and families. Medical social
work coordinates patients and families for necessary resources and supports them with available
resources in the community. In shape of material aid (medicine, other synthetic material like
artificial arm, hand leg etc. (Refer any patient according to his/her needs), A century ago the Social
workers help the patients and their families cope with their health related issues, and restore the
patient’s social functioning so that the patient himself and his family may not suffer due the
ailments and their lasting impacts. Moreover, medical social workers determine the psychological
and social functioning of the individuals and their families.

 Providing psychotherapy

 Supportive counseling

 Grief counseling

 Rehabilitation Program to expand and strengthen social supports of clients.

 It means that MSW deal with individuals, groups and communities.

 Individual with a problem affects the group (family) and along with this community would be
disturbed.

Knowledge, Roles and skills required for practicing Medical Social Work in medical setup

One of the most important roles which a Medical social worker has, to guide the patients for the
dischargeprocess after the treatment in hospitals, and to ensure that the complete services, the patient
need, are in place for the purpose to facilitate on time discharge and prevent delays in discharge that
can cost the hospital thousands of rupees per dayFor example, the doctormight tell the medicalworker
that a patient will soon be cleared for discharge, that means that the patient no requires hospitalization
and will require home care services.

It is the medical social worker's duty to later arrange for the home care service to be in place so that the
patient can be discharged. If the medical social worker fails to arrange for the home care service, the
patient may not leave the hospital which may get delay in discharge In such circumstances, the treating
physician is ultimately held responsible for the delaying in discharge. However the medical social worker
often bears the brunt of the blame for the delaying in discharge and his or her failure to perform often
attracts the attention of management.

Other skills required of the medical social worker are: an ability to work willingly with other health care
staff as part of a multidisciplinary treatment team. They need to have good analytical and assessment
skills an ability to communicate properly with both patients and staff members, and an ability to quickly
engage the patient in a restorative relationship.

Moreover a social worker should have complete command on the following skills.

 Case work/Group work.

 Research and program evaluation.

 System linkage, Analysis & development.

 Environmental system and social policies

Social Case Work

Social Case Work is a process employed by a social worker to aid individual, find a solution of
their problem of social betterment. Social group work is a process during which individuals in
groups in social group settings are helped by a worker. It is mandatory for a Medical Social
Worker to have complete knowledge about case/group work and command to practice them
well.

Research and program evaluation

It means to conduct and use applied research to evaluate current programs and develop new
programs.

System linkage, Analysis & development

Ability of conflict management and negotiation skills to manage and resolve inter-agency
conflict and to analyze services gaps and represents the needs at the system level.

Environmental system and social policies

Ability to understand the socio-economic-political system within a multicultural context and

relevant policies. It mean to critically analyze policies in the context of complex systems and
changing social trend to suggest revisions, highlight gaps, recommend solution.

Principles of Medical social work

Principles are the guide lines for practice of any profession .which guide the practitioners way to go
along and to make the practice effective valuable. Medical social work is also have some principles
to practice which are as under.

Principle of communication
Communication is the foremost principle of medical social work . it is necessary for the medical social
worker to come at the level of client to understand the needs and requirements of the client. As well as
the client may understand the worker easily and tell the worker all about his/her problems.

Individualization

Individualism is very significant to be understood. Because every individual is unique and have the
different psycho socio economical background. So he may be understood with his/her total strengths
and weaknesses. Which will help the worker to carry the programs effectively.

Worth and Dignity of the People

According to the principle every individual should be respected irrespective of color race religion etc
because every individual has esteem honor respect beliefs which are among the basic right of every
human being to have any kind of beliefs. Thus every individual must be respected in spite of personal
beliefs and prejudices.

Strengths Perspective

This is another principle of medical social work. It means that the worker will identify the strengths of
clients and design the programs according to the strengths of clients. So that clients may take interest in
the implementing the programs and may participate in all the activities.

Confidentiality

According to the principle the worker can not disclose the information of client with his/her written
permission. It is very necessary to win the confidence of client, without doing it it will be
difficult for the worker to get insight of client situation exactly. After winning the trust of client
he should be ensured that the information provided by client will remain secret.

Client Self-Determination

It is also one of the basic and important principles of social work. According to the principle the
clients are responsible for the decisions and selecting a course of actions for himself. The
worker will only assist and guide the client and tell the best way to go along.

Objectives of Medical Social work

A medical social worker aims at providing services in the fields of health. Mentioned below
are the detailed objectives of Medical Social work services
a. A medical social worker prepares different case studies.
b. A medical social worker rehabilitates the patients.
c. To give medications of Zakat Funds to the underprivileged and needy patients .
d. To systematize patient welfare society with association of society
e. To make skills amid people of society for their better social functioning.
f. To evaluation of needs of patients and to help them.
g. During heavy type of emergency campaign a medical social worker coordinates with
hospital administration.’

Conclusion: - In today’s world the significance of social work in hospital setup is considered a
great approach to help needy people under the expertise of medical social worker Medical
social services professionals help individuals, couples and families deal with their social,
psychological, cultural and health issues, for the aim of discovering the social and psychological
background of a individuals and to make the individuals free from their psychological tensions.
Medical social work also helps with the prevention of diseases, after care of the patients, and
social rehabilitation of patients, not just limited to the treatment of the disease.