Design of ISD-1: an instrument for social diagnosis in care homes for older persons^*

* The results of analysing the validity of the content of ISD-1 are published in the European Journal of Social Work, in a separate article entitled ‘Content validity analysis of ISD-1: an instrument for social diagnosis in care homes for older persons’.

ABSTRACT

This article describes the design process and main features of an instrument developed for use in the specialist area of intervention in care homes for older persons. The essential aim of ISD-1 (instrument for social diagnosis) is to permit the correct formulation of social diagnoses and to standardise and define the professional language used by social workers. Its content has been organised into 4 dimensions of social diagnosis, divided into 15 sub-dimensions containing 83 diagnostic categories. This work was performed in Spain, in the 24 care homes of the Madrid Social Care Agency of the Community of Madrid, involving the participation of the 40 social workers practising in these centres. ISD-1 is an easily understood and used tool, of potential use for social workers practising in care homes for older persons and capable of being adapted for use in other institutional environments, as well as being capable of adaptation and translation for its application in other countries.

RESUMEN

Este artículo describe el proceso de diseño y las principales características de un instrumento para el diagnóstico social (IDIS.1: Instrumento para el diagnóstico social), desarrollado para su uso en el ámbito especializado de intervención de las residencias para personas mayores. La finalidad fundamental del IDIS.1 es facilitar la correcta formulación del diagnóstico social y unificar y definir el lenguaje profesional empleado por los trabajadores sociales. Su contenido se ha organizado en torno a cuatro dimensiones de diagnóstico social, divididas en 15 subdimensiones, que agrupan 83 categorías diagnósticas. Este trabajo se ha realizado en las 24 residencias de la Agencia Madrileña de Atención Social de la Comunidad de Madrid, contando con la participación de los 40 trabajadores sociales en ejercicio en estos centros. El IDIS.1 es una herramienta fácil de entender y utilizar, potencialmente útil para trabajadores sociales en ejercicio en residencias para personas mayores, y susceptible de ser adaptada para su uso en otros entornos institucionales de atención a personas mayores, o personas en otro tipo de situación de dependencia, así como de ser adaptado y traducido para su aplicación en otros países.

KEYWORDS:

• Social diagnosis
• instrument
• professional language
• care homes
• older persons

PALABRAS CLAVE:

• Diagnóstico social
• instrumento
• lenguaje profesional
• residencias
• personas mayores

Acknowledgements

The authors particularly wish to thank all the social workers who have participated in this study, since their dedication and involvement have made its completion possible.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Silvia Patrica Cury has a PhD in Social Work, a University Master’s in Community Social Work and Management and Evaluation of Social Services and a Diploma in Social Work from Universidad Complutense, Madrid (UCM), with an Outstanding PhD Award (Premio Extraordinario de Doctorado) in Social Work. She is currently an associate professor at the International University of La Rioja for the degree in Social Work and the master’s in Social Intervention in Knowledge Societies, coordinator for the master’s in Socio-Healthcare Management and Intervention, and associate on the UCM PhD programme in Social Work. She has published various monograph chapters and articles in scientific social work journals.

Andrés Arias Astray is a Professor of Social Work at Complutense University (Madrid). His research interest revolves around the improvement of social and personal well-being through the critical analysis of social work practices and theories and the development of new professional tools and instruments. He is also very interested in the research and professional practice of social work with groups. He is the Academic Coordinator of the Social Work PhD programme at Complutense and a member of the Executive Committee of the European Association of Schools of Social Work.

José Luis Palacios Gómez has a Degree and PhD in Political Sciences and Sociology from UCM, Madrid, as well as a PhD from Universidad Autónoma, Madrid on its Methodology of Behavioural and Health Sciences programme. He carries on his professional activities as a sociologist on the special management scale, higher technical class, of local government administration. He has worked as an associate professor at various universities, teaching the subjects of Social Research Methods and Techniques and Statistics, among others. He has published seven books and numerous articles in scientific journals of sociology, economics and business administration.

Notes

* The results of analysing the validity of the content of ISD-1 are published in the European Journal of Social Work, in a separate article entitled ‘Content validity analysis of ISD-1: an instrument for social diagnosis in care homes for older persons’.

1. We reproduce Table 2, ‘Classification of the social diagnosis sample’ in the Results section.

2. The three scripts used to conduct the focused group interviews are attached to this work as ‘Supplemental online material’ (http://goo.gl/cN2vUu).

3. The index of the 83 categories of ISD-1 is attached to this work as ‘Supplemental online material’ (https://goo.gl/tiDuyz).

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge the Madrid Social Care Agency of the Community of Madrid, which has sponsored and at all times supported the completion of this study, and Universidad Complutense, Madrid, which has financed this research by providing Silvia Patricia Cury with a four-year pre-PhD grant.