Social Work in Health Care

Social Work in Healthcare invites submissions for a Practice Innovation Special Issue entitled Innovations in Efficient, Effective and Quality Oriented Practices and Procedures in Healthcare Social Work. In this issue, we aim to identify creative strategies that social work practitioners, supervisors, administrators and leaders use to meet the need for streamlined, well-organized and timesaving practices while responding in effective and quality driven ways to the multi-dimensional concerns of patient populations. We welcome social workers from all sectors of healthcare (eg inpatient, ambulatory care, community based, home care settings) to highlight the innovative ways in which they “do more with less” in a fast paced environment while ensuring that services are provided with quality in mind.

As the world of healthcare moves at an ever quicker pace and efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare services is viewed as ever more imperative—and with the evolution towards a value-based rather than fee-for-service reimbursement system—social workers are continually challenged to establish themselves as critical players within this environment.
In their work with patients and families, social workers expertly delve into the complex bio-psychosocial issues that arise when patients are facing an acute medical crisis or are dealing with a chronic illness that often upends their lives. Frequently patients are also managing behavioral health concerns that complicate their medical trajectory. As healthcare professionals working to ensure that patients understand their illness and treatment plan and remain as healthy as possible, social workers closely collaborate with medical teams that are equally pressured to move patients quickly through the health care system. Additionally, social workers are called upon to link patients with community resources when those resources may be limited or non-existent. In the context of inadequate resources within and outside of healthcare settings, social workers strive to balance the needs of the organization in which they practice with those of the populations they serve. At the same time, they develop innovative strategies that meet the goal of providing efficient, effective and quality oriented services for patients and families.

Submissions can include, but are not limited to, exemplars of new practice models, technological advancements, staffing and organizational innovations, collaborative strategies, supervisory approaches, quality improvement programs, educational initiatives and efforts to measure practice effectiveness. Practitioners are particularly welcome to submit descriptions of their experiences in working to provide efficient, effective and high quality social work services. Within this context, submissions are also encouraged that include a focus on equitable healthcare services and outcomes in today’s healthcare setting.

Practice innovation submissions should be no more than 12 pages (including references and appendix pages) and describe existing or ongoing innovations designed to respond to the needs of clients in health care settings, including practice models, policies, protocols or organizational structures that have been modified to respond to challenges of social work practice in health care settings

Authors should follow the guidelines for writing articles for Social Work in Health Care:

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?show=instructions&journalCode=wshc20

Instructions for AuthorsSubmit an Article