Expectations of social workers for interprofessional practice in healthcare: qualitative insights from practicing physician, nurse, and social work professionals

ABSTRACT

Expectations of the social work role within healthcare teams was explored utilizing perceptions of physicians, nurses, and social workers from a variety of healthcare settings and specialties. Thematic categories illuminated intraprofessional and interprofessional perceptions of experiences pertinent to the inclusion of social work services. Responsibilities for social work healthcare practice in specialist settings included providing assessments, counseling to address emotional and social wellbeing, assisting in coordination of systems, and management of systemic family issues. Traits expected of the social worker included expressing confidence, communication aptitude, and basic knowledge of medical terminology.

KEYWORDS:

• Healthcare
• interprofessional
• social work

Author contributes

I have no known conflict of interest to disclose. This article is based on the dissertation completed by Giamportone (2020). Widener University IRB approval (69-19).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.