Social work effectiveness as documented in obstetrical inpatient medical records

The purpose of this research was to examine the effectiveness of social work delivery within two categories of obstetrical inpatients: those identified either by (a) other health care team professionals (referred) or (b) social workers using a set of social work criteria (screened). This study focused on a 4-month period in 2001 for maternity patients admitted to obstetrical inpatient units at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia. The study used a stratified proportional sample of 107 medical records—53 from referred sources and 54 from screened sources, and included only medical records of obstetrical inpatients seen by social workers.; The researcher concluded that no apparent differences in social work service delivery existed between the two groups. The researcher was able to find evidence of social work effectiveness within the medical records. The findings documented social work effectiveness in service delivery regardless of referral sources. The researcher suggests the continued use of social work documentation to obtain evidence demonstrating social work's ongoing usefulness within the managed health care climate.