Public Hospital Palliative Social Work: Addressing Patient Cultural Diversity and Psychosocial Needs

Abstract

Through creative practice innovations and a wide range of professional competencies, social work has contributed substantively to the development of the palliative care field (Harper, 2011 ). As the field continues to grow and evolve, new opportunities are emerging to profile palliative social work in diverse health care settings. A statewide initiative to spread palliative care in California's public hospitals provided just such an opportunity. Palliative social workers from six public hospitals participating in the initiative formed a group to discuss palliative social work in this unique hospital setting. This article highlights the group's insights and experiences as they address the significant cultural diversity and psychosocial needs of public hospital patients receiving palliative care.

The Critical Role of Social Workers in Home-Based Primary Care

“…Multiple published case studies describe the unique ways social workers can address the psychosocial needs of those living with serious illness. Such examples include a social worker helping to secure hospice services for an undocumented immigrant dying of cancer (Parrish et al, 2012), a social worker arranging for a seriously ill patient to return to his home hundreds of miles away (Creal, 2013), and a social worker facilitating a family reconciliation despite complicated family dynamics (Baker, 2005). …”