Social work in health care
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Soc Work Health Care · Aug 2017
ReviewPotential of mobile technologies and applications in the detection of mild cognitive impairment among older generation groups.
At present, demographic changes result in the growing number of older people. This trend inevitably brings about serious social and economic issues, as well as occurrence of aging diseases. ⋯ The methods used for this review study include a literature search in the world's acknowledged databases. The findings of this study indicate that mobile applications can serve as appropriate diagnostic tools for aging disorders such as mild cognitive impairment because they seem to provide better, faster, and less costly care for older people.
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Soc Work Health Care · Jan 2015
ReviewLow health literacy and older adults: meanings, problems, and recommendations for social work.
Many older adults struggle to manage their health care problems. Low health literacy exacerbates such struggles and contributes to a variety of adverse health behaviors and outcomes. Addressing how health literacy impinges on the lives of older adults is a neglected area of social work practice and knowledge. This article explores seven areas: defining health literacy, the problem and prevalence of low health literacy among older adults, health inequalities and health literacy, a brief literature review, neglected issues in the literature, suggestions for macro and micro social work interventions to improve health literacy for older adult populations, and conclusion.
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Soc Work Health Care · Oct 2014
ReviewSocial work, technology, and ethical practices: a review and evaluation of the national association of social workers' technology standards.
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are becoming essential to social work practice by providing increased treatment possibilities and reducing barriers to service. While recognizing the importance of ICTs in practice, social work practitioners have had concerns about ethical use. ⋯ While the guidelines set the groundwork, they were not embedded in a process that would allow them to adapt to the swift pace of ICT changes. This article reviews the current Standards, evaluates how these have been implemented by practitioners, and offers suggestions for updates.
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Soc Work Health Care · Jan 2013
ReviewPerson-centeredness in home- and community-based long-term care: current challenges and new directions.
Person-centered care (PCC) has demonstrated to be a viable and preferred model of providing health and institutionalized long-term care services. However, the concept of PCC has not been fully extended to home- and community-based long-term care services (HCBS) for older adults with chronic conditions. This review highlights the need for PCC in HCBS and suggests that social workers may play a role in overcoming cultural and structural barriers to extending PCC to HCBS that include: the fragmentation of the industry, financial structures, regulation of services, and paternalism in policy and practice. Recommendations for practice, policy, and research are provided.
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Soc Work Health Care · Jan 2012
Review Meta AnalysisReproductive attitudes and behaviors in people with sickle cell disease or sickle cell trait: a qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a serious and life threatening disorder. The literature on informed reproductive decisions among people with SCD is limited, suggesting that there is a lack of awareness about SCD and Sickle cell trait status (SCT) among high-risk populations. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS) is to examine the reproductive attitudes and behaviors in people with SCD or SCT to create effective genetic counseling programs to inform reproductive decision making. ⋯ Other demographic characteristics of the study populations and data collection methods used in these studies varied. Seven themes on reproductive attitudes and behaviors among people with SCD or SCT emerged: lack of awareness or education about SCD and SCT; men who deny having SCT; attitudes toward learning one's SCT status; rationales for learning a partner's SCT status prior to commencing a relationship; valuing relationships over SCD risk; learning one's own and partner's SCT status; and the consequences of not asking about partners' SCT status. Implications for prevention programming involving improved education and awareness about the disease and reproduction are discussed.