Medical social workers in hospital settings play several important roles: counseling patients and families on social and emotional issues related to illness, care planning by assisting with arrangements for medical care after discharge, and advocating for patients who have difficulty communicating or from different cultures. They also assess patients' mental health and situations involving abuse or addiction, assist with financial aid applications, and provide legal assistance in cases regarding childcare or appointing conservators. The social worker aims to address the social and emotional impacts of illness on patients and their support systems.

1. ROLE OF SOCIAL WORKER IN
HOSPITAL SETTING
Presented By: Akbar Ali

2. INTRODUCTION:
The important areas of Medical Social Worker (MSW):
Hospitals
Drug Rehabilitation Centers
Community Health Agencies
Nursing Homes
Mental Health Facilitation
Most importantly a MSW works to assure that the best
interests of the patients are being met.

3. ROLE OF MEDICAL SOCIAL WORKER:
SOCIAL
COUNCELLING
CARE PLANNING
FINANCIAL
ASSISTANT
ASSESSMENT
ADVOCACY
LEGAL ASSISTANT

4. COUNSELING:
MSWs advise &
counsel patients &
their families Related
their social issues .

5. CONT…..
The MSWs advise them how to
effectively social deal with symptoms
and treatment.
MSWs also serves as a grief counselor
to help patients and families deal with
the trauma of experiencing a chronic
or acute illness

6. CARE PLANNING:
Families and
patients often do
not know where
to turn to get
medical care.

7. CONT….
MSWs assists patients and families
in finding and arranging services
such as in home care, nursing
home care and counseling.
MSWs work with medical team &
discuss about care planning of
patients.

8. Financial Assistance:
As the expense for an
acute & chronic
illness is very high,
families may not be
able to financially
provide for the care of
an ill family member.

9. Cont.…
 If the ill person is a parent, financial support
for the care of dependents must also be
dealt with.
MSWs refer and assist patients in obtaining
financial assistance, food assistance and
health care coverage through city, state and
federal programs.

10. ASSESMENTS:
MSWs assess a patient is severely
mentally ill, is a drug addict or is a
victim of abuse with the requirement
of Doctors or Nurses.
The experienced opinion of a
medical social worker is highly
regarded by hospital staff.

11. CONT….
MSWs evaluates the patient and
reports back to the hospital staff.
Together, hospital staff and the
medical social worker collaborate to
find the best approach to helping
mentally ill, mentally incompetent,
drug-addicted or abused patients.

12. Advocacy:
MSW Serves as a patient advocate.
Acts as an intermediary between
patients and the medical community.
They are the voice for people who have
communication barriers or cultural
differences that make effective
communication challenging.

13. CONT….
Without the MSW, these types of
patients often fall between the cracks
their health and emotional needs
unknown.

14. Legal Assistance:
 MSWs must take legal action to protect the
patient.
 MSWs should take legal actions in the following
situations:
• Parents are unable to take care for their sick
child.
• Accident cases.
• Abuse cases.
• In these cases a conservator, a power of
attorney or a public guardian may need to be
appointed.

15. Emotional components
MSWs DEALING WITH EMOTIONAL AND
SOCIAL COMPONENTS OF ILLNESS
BOTH IN RURALAND URBAN SETTINGS.

16. Cont.…..
 Stress
Anxiety.
Depression.
Abuse.
Confusion and memory problems.
 Self devaluation.

17. SOCIAL COMPONENTS
Social isolation
Break in social relationship
Loss of family and social support.
 Inability to perform social roles.
Financial problems

18. Cont.…..
Avail good support from the family
friends relatives and society.
Save the patient and his families from
surrendering control of the future.
MSWs perform their roles perfectly to
manage the social and emotional
consequences of the illness.

19. Cont.…..
MSWs apply the needed methods of social
work and different therapies to deal with the
socio-emotional aspects of illness both in
rural and in urban settings.
Mobilize community resources of the
patients.