How can social workers be meaningfully involved in palliative care? A scoping review on the prerequisites and how they can be realised in practice

Abstract

Palliative care is a holistic practice using a multidisciplinary approach in addressing multidimensional needs. Although the social aspects surrounding the end-of-life phase suggest a place for social work in it, the profession is often inadequately involved in daily practice. This contrasts strongly with the potential meaningful contributions of social workers in this field. To date, no comprehensive list of prerequisites for meaningful social work involvement in palliative care exists. This review aims to gain more insight on the prerequisites for meaningful social work involvement in palliative care and how to realise them in practice. It could therefore provide pathways for future intervention development in enhancing the involvement of social workers and maximising their contributions in palliative care. A scoping review methodology was used. A systematic selection of peer-reviewed articles ranged from 2000 to April 2021 – out of the electronic databases Web of Science, Scopus and Pubmed – was conducted. The 170 articles that met the eligibility criteria were analysed for relevant content using open and axial coding processes. The findings are reported according to the PRISMA-ScR checklist. The nine prerequisites listed in this review concern the level of individual social work capacities and the level of contextual factors structuring social work practices. A majority of articles have, however, focused on the level of individual social work capacities in a rather specialist view on palliative care. Future research should further address the contextual level of social work involvement in the broader practice of death, dying and bereavement.

A Mixed-Method Study on the Palliative Care Capacity of Social Workers in Flanders (Belgium): A Call to Expand Their Role

“…Additionally, it may inspire other researchers to consider our approach to palliative care capacity, namely the idea that social workers' ability to perform tasks not only depends on competencies. It is equally important to consider their attitudes toward palliative care tasks [21,22] and contextual factors that facilitate or hinder the performance of tasks [10]. Second, this study contributes to overall palliative care practice in Flanders.…”

“…To further examine the potential role and actual involvement of social workers in palliative care [10], this study aims to explore the palliative care capacity of social workers in Flanders (Belgium). First, the study examines the frequency with which social workers in Flanders are currently performing palliative care tasks.…”

“…(3) Assessing the needs of clients from a diferent cultural background 26% (4) Addressing structural problems in the guidance and support of clients 24.6% (5) Recognising structural problems in the guidance and support of clients 22.9% (6) Mediating conficts between clients and their relatives 21.3% (7) Advocating for relatives' needs after the death of a client 20.7% (8) Assessing the needs of relatives from a diferent cultural background 20.6% (9) Reporting gaps in clients' care plans 18.6% (10) Recognising gaps in clients' care plans 17.9%…”

A Qualitative Study on the Position and Role of Volunteers in Integrated Care—An Example of Palliative Care in Croatia

“…Moreover, by observing their activities, we begin to understand what needs to be integrated. Taels et al tackle social work in palliative care by addressing the prerequisites for their meaningful involvement [48].…”

‘So being here is. . . I feel like I’m being a social worker again, at the hospice’: Using interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore social workers’ experiences of hospice work

“… 4 – 6 Across settings and within interdisciplinary hospice teams, the role of the social worker is increasingly being recognised as playing a unique role in contributing to professional and nonprofessional care delivery. 7 – 9 The role can include supporting the psychosocial and spiritual needs of clients and their families, formulating advanced care directives, counselling, advocacy and bereavement. 10 , 11 The varied roles, skills and tasks of a hospice social worker, often not delineated, can lead to the role being perceived as ambiguous and unclear to colleagues, 12 with boundary and role issues being a common challenge.…”