Social Work Roles in Acute Hospitals and Primary Care Polyclinics in Singapore
Question (20 marks)
Examine the social work roles, functions, or tasks required to work effectively in
i) acute hospitals in Singapore, for example, Singapore General Hospital.
ii) primary care polyclinics in Singapore, for example, polyclinics under the SingHealth Group.
https://www(dot)primarycarepages(dot)sg/practice-management/primary-care-model/polyclinics
As the roles may overlap, your answer need not be distinct as long as you refer to these two settings.
Lecture slide number 105, Section 3, 3a onwards will give you clues/guidelines on the answer. Thank you.
Just a few other things to note;
Applying the outcome of the course is essential. It is found on slide 5 of the lecture slides.
Try to use references which are five years or less.
Population health is important in the answer.
Social Work in the Health Field: A Care Perspective, Cowles, Lois A. Fort; is the textbook for this course, and it helps to answer the roles and functions of a medical social worker, but I do not have the book; if you can find it online, it will be nice; if it cannot be found, it is ok.
For the acute hospital,Emergency Department and the ICU (Intensive care units) are important.
For example, social workers and doctors in the Emergency Department can discuss about morals, ethics societal values and norms on which type of patients to save when resources are in shortage during a major disaster.
It is important to examine a broad range of skills and be able to translate the knowledge into actionable steps. It is also important to give specific description of specific tasks or behaviors in the examples for the questions.
I will attach a sample essay written by another writer for you. There are some good parts which you can use.
Correct APA referencing is important.
Very Important: There MUST BE a comparison of the social worker roles, functions, or tasks using the acute hospital and polyclinic setting. Thank you.
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Social Work Roles in Acute Hospitals and Primary Care Polyclinics in Singapore
Social workers are essential in acute hospitals and primary care polyclinics in Singapore. Their primary focus is to provide psychosocial support and intervention to patients and their families, particularly those facing challenging health issues, financial difficulties, family conflicts, and social isolation. Social workers in acute hospitals and primary care polyclinics promote patients’ overall health and well-being by addressing the social and emotional factors that can impact their health outcomes (Yau et al., 2019). This paper aims to discuss the roles and functions that social workers must perform to work effectively in Singapore’s acute hospitals and primary care polyclinics, emphasizing the importance of their contributions in these healthcare settings.
In Acute Hospitals in Singapore
In acute hospitals, social workers work closely with medical professionals and other healthcare providers to assess patients’ psychosocial needs and develop care plans to address these needs. They may provide counseling and support to patients and families to help them cope with their health conditions’ emotional and social impact. They may also assist patients in accessing community resources and services, such as financial assistance, housing, and transportation. This section highlights the roles of social workers in one of Singapore’s largest acute hospitals, Singapore General Hospital.
Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is Singapore’s largest and oldest acute tertiary hospital, with a rich history of providing high-quality healthcare services to the local community. Social workers in Singapore General Hospital (SGH) are crucial in providing psychosocial support and intervention to patients and their families. To work effectively in SGH, social workers must focus on psychosocial assessment, care coordination, counseling and therapy, discharge planning, crisis intervention, and advocacy.
Social workers in SGH conduct psychosocial assessments of patients to identify their needs, strengths, and coping strategies. They use various assessment tools, such as interviews, observations, and standardized tests, to assess patients’ mental health, emotional well-being, and social support networks (Yi et al., 2020). Social workers must collaborate with other healthcare professionals, such as doctors, nurses, and therapists, to coordinate patient care. Moreover, they must provide counseling and therapy to patients and their families to address emotional and social issues related to their health conditions. They use evidence-based techniques, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based interventions, to help patients manage stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health problems (Schot et al., 2020). They can assist patients and their families with discharge planning in ensuring a smooth transition from the hospital to home or community-based care. They assess patients’ needs for ongoing medical and psychosocial support, coordinate follow-up care with community providers, and provide education and resources to help patients and families manage their health conditions at home. They can also provide crisis intervention services to patients and families facing urgent psychosocial issues, domestic violence, suicide risk, and substance abuse. They use crisis intervention techniques, such as de-escalation and safety planning, to provide immediate support and referral to appropriate...