Hospital Social Work introduces the reader to the world of medicine and social work as seen through the eyes of actual social workers. An essential reference for both students and professionals. Over 100 social workers in dozens of hospitals were interviewed to provide the reader with first-hand experiences and discussions of practice principles, policy considerations, and theoretical treatments to provide each chapter with a unique blend of theory and practice. Joan Beder, a professor of social work and a practicing social worker, recently noted an apparent lack of empirical discussion of the actual role and day-to-day functioning of the medical social worker. Hospital Social Work is the result, a unique supplemental text for both studying and practicing medical social workers.

Critical Hospital Social Work Practice sheds light on the fast-paced, high pressure role of the hospital social worker. At a time of public concern over the state of the NHS and the needs of a growing older population, the hospital social worker’s job is more important than ever. Yet, it is poorly understood and often overlooked by policy makers, managers and other professionals. Employing social theory to make sense of the contemporary context of health and social care, this book highlights the vital role played by social workers in planning complex hospital discharges. It provides an in-depth account of the activities of a typical hospital social work team in the UK, drawn from rigorous ethnographic fieldwork, and contrasts this with research evidence on hospital social work practices around the world. The author points towards exciting new directions for health-related social work and social work’s potential to develop critical gerontological practice. This book will be useful to social work students and practitioners working in hospital settings and with older people in general. It will also be of significant value to policy makers and academics who are interested in developing innovative approaches to meeting the needs of the ageing population.

The Handbook of Health Social Work provides a comprehensive and evidence-based overview of contemporary social work practice in health care. Written from a wellness perspective, the chapters cover the spectrum of health social work settings with contributions from a wide range of experts. The resulting resource offers both a foundation for social work practice in health care and a guide for strategy, policy, and program development in proactive and actionable terms. Three sections present the material: The Foundations of Social Work in Health Care provides information that is basic and central to the operations of social workers in health care, including conceptual underpinnings; the development of the profession; the wide array of roles performed by social workers in health care settings; ethical issues and decision - making in a variety of arenas; public health and social work; health policy and social work; and the understanding of community factors in health social work. Health Social Work Practice: A Spectrum of Critical Considerations delves into critical practice issues such as theories of health behavior; assessment; effective communication with both clients and other members of health care teams; intersections between health and mental health; the effects of religion and spirituality on health care; family and health; sexuality in health care; and substance abuse. Health Social Work: Selected Areas of Practice presents a range of examples of social work practice, including settings that involve older adults; nephrology; oncology; chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS; genetics; end of life care; pain management and palliative care; and alternative treatments and traditional healers. The first book of its kind to unite the entire body of health social work knowledge, the Handbook of Health Social Work is a must-read for social work educators, administrators, students, and practitioners.

This title includes a number of Open Access chapters. Social Work in Public Health and Hospitals explores a variety of issues related to social work in hospital settings as well as the public policy concerns that guide them. Topics discussed include hospital stays for the elderly, identifying postnatal depression during well-child visits, breast-feeding and awareness of health recommendations, maternal health services in Nigeria, children living with parents with HIV and AIDS, patients' rights in hospitals, harm reduction in hospitals, and more. The book also looks at public health services at rural and community clinics, at university hospitals, and at doctors' offices.

For over 4 decades, Charlene Turner headed the social work department at one of the largest and most renown public hospitals in the Southeast, serving the city of Atlanta and 2 of the largest counties in the state of Georgia. At one point, she had a staff of over 100 social workers, diverse in culture, gender, sexual identity, race, and ethnicity. Together with more than 20 of her former social worker staff members, they share poignant memories, challenges, and triumphs. Through their eyes, you get a glimpse of the struggles of the underserved and you will fall in love with their work and their patients. Replete with human interest stories, it's a must-read for hospital administrators, physicians, nurses, social workers, aspirants, and students in these fields. This group handled some of the most severe social challenges faced by the Atlanta community during that period. You will stay engaged as they share their memories of crises resolved and challenges met.

Explore the in-hospital evolution of social work with HIV/AIDS patients! A History of AIDS Social Work in Hospitals: A Daring Response to an Epidemic presents first-hand historical perspectives from frontline hospital social workers who cared for HIV/AIDS patients during the epidemic’s beginning in the early 1980s. Contributors recount personal and clinical experiences with patients, families, significant others, bureaucracies, and systems during a time of fear, challenge, and extreme caution. Their experiences illustrate the transformation of social work as the development of new programs and treatments increased the lifespan of HIV/AIDS patients. A History of AIDS Social Work in Hospitals portrays the nature of human suffering and teaches how clients deal with adversity and overcome devastating obstacles. At the same time this book, which, while nonfiction, reads like a novel, opens a window into the world of social work providers working with an illness once considered taboo (and now referred to as simply chronic). A History of AIDS Social Work in Hospitals provides you with an easy-to-understand medical overview of adult and pediatric infectious diseases that often accompany HIV/AIDS and examines: the evolution of social work with hospitalized patients during the first twenty years of the pandemic the important roles of social workers in New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and South Carolina challenges that resulted from improved medications and longer life expectancy the status of current HIV/AIDS care programs the development of HIV/AIDS case management in emergency room settings the benefits of developing custody planning programs for HIV-infected families the challenges of working with perinatally infected adolescents With case studies and thoughtful analysis of the history of city, state, and national case management responses to the AIDS crisis, A History of AIDS Social Work in Hospitals is a valuable book for educators, students, historians, beginning mental health practitioners, social workers, case managers, substance abuse counselors, and anyone interested in stories of human courage. Make it part of your collection today!

Here is an outstanding reference book of major readings in the field of social work in health care. Practitioners, educators, researchers, and students can use this landmark two-part volume to review dominant themes and critical issues in today’s practice environment and to understand the evolution of current trends and emerging policies and programs. In this one desktop source book, hundreds of references relevant to the health care social work field are immediately accessible. Education, policy, practice, and research issues integral to social work’s expanding role in health care are the main focus, with each chapter highlighting a theme of enduring importance to the field. Other outstanding articles related to the chapter’s theme are cited in the appendix to each chapter which also includes a selected bibliography of suggested topical readings. Comprehensive new book filled with information vital to social workers in the health care field! Over 900 pages of scholarly articles by the foremost social work leaders in health care! 9 categories embrace the range of social work activity in the health care field! Exciting new ideas and practical suggestions for everyday dilemmas! Hundreds of references immediately accessible in one desktop source! Selected bibliography of topical headings provides sources for even more relevant articles! A MUST HAVE volume for instructors and students! Deepen your understanding of all aspects of social work practice in health care with this superb volume! Here is an outstanding reference book of major readings in the field of social work in health care. Practitioners, educators, researchers, and students can use this landmark two-part volume to review dominant themes and critical issues in today’s practice environment and to understand the evolution of current trends and emerging policies and programs. Social Work in Health Care makes hundreds of references relevant to the health care social work field immediately accessible in this one desktop source book. Education, policy, practice, and research issues integral to social work’s expanding role in health care are the main focus, with each chapter highlighting a theme of enduring importance to the field. Other outstanding articles related to the chapter’s theme are cited in the appendix to each chapter which also includes a selected bibliography of suggested topical readings. Find answers and ideas for everyday dilemmas in this all-inclusive, information-packed volume!Social workers practicing in the rapidly expanding health care field call upon a repertoire of skills to fulfill a variety of functions including direct patient care and contact with patients’families, education, and influencing organizational policies on their clients’behalf. The in-depth scholarship and the diversity of multiple approaches to health care social work, as presented in Social Work in Health Care, will have a strong impact on the field. Through the intertwining network of education, policy, practice, and research issues in the book, and professsional discussion of those topics, a beginning point exists from which social workers can develop principles to guide their social work activities in the medical and health fields.