| BackgroundNowadays,with the clinical treatment ways and models of hospitals still focusing on patients' medical demands,which gradually unable to meet the patients'desire of wellness.Meanwhile,with the betterment of hospitals' medical social work,which is good to meet and provide related services to the patients' health demands in hospitals,and it made the medical social workers have became one of the most important parts of promoting the quality of medical services and let the people have a greater sense of gaining on medical care in hospitals.Then,the importance of medical social workers' functions are being advocated by our government now.However,the development speed of hospitals' medical social work are still lagging behind in China.Besides,there are still some questions about the necessity of establishing a medical social work department in hospitals or not and so on.Therefore,this study takes the scoliosis patients' health condition of wellness which can be served by the medical social workers in hospital S of Shandong province as example.This study is not only necessary for the hospitals' medical services' quality and development,but also can avail the hospitals put our national health policies and guidelines into practice,and set a good example on medical social work services in hospitals.ObjectivesIn order to have a better understanding of the patients'(and their families')wellness situation during their process of seeking for medical treatment,and give some specific measures and suggestions on how to make the patients' wellness keep well by the medical social workers and relative services in hospitals.Based on the work that medical social workers have been done,we gave some tactics about how to meet the patients health demands.It is aimed at improving the development of hospitals' medical services quality and making the hospitals' medical social works develop preferably and orderly.MethodsThis study used some qualitative and quantitative methods.It mainly includes 3 aspects as following:(1)A literature review of progress on medical social work,the clinical treatment of scoliosis,burden on caregivers of scoliosis' etc.Meanwhile,there are some descriptive analyses were used by combining the opinions and consultations of experts,and the field observation's results(August 2018 to January 2019).(2)To measure,analyze and evaluate the "quality of life",etc,on patients with scoliosis' and their primary caregivers(59 scoliosis cases,a total of 118 persons).(3)Used in-depth interviews interviewed some "stakeholders" as experts,medical social workers and other kinds of social workers.Besides,some focus groups were conducted on 7 medical social workers in hospital S.All above of this item,it aims at having a better understanding of the medical social work services' circumstance currently,mode,predicament and orientation of the future,and only in this way can we give some suggestions on making progress of medical social work in hospitals.Main results and Conclusions(1)The patients investigated in this study have shown that we should not only pay attention to their physiological demands,but also to their psychological aspects.The scoliosis patients were easily affected by "pain" and "self-image/appearance.The biggest impact to Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis is the ability to participate in activities was limited.As a result of the disease,some patients would with a lower appearance and image of their back,which may lead the patients with worry,anxiety and even with the feeling of inferiority.In terms of health conditions among the Adult Degenerative Scoliosis currently,there are some patients who felt their life "worse than death",and 25%of adult patients may be with depression now.These indicate that some patients are not only have the pain control and relief demands on physiological aspects,but also need to be intervened or supported on psychological aspects.In addition,5.1%of the primary caregivers' social support level is in a much lower degree,which indicates those scoliosis patients who are corresponding of these primary caregivers are also in a low level social support,and medical social workers should keep an eye on these patients and their families.(2)Because the primary caregivers of patients play some much more important roles on supporting the patients' wellness,they should be included in the scope of medical social work services also.Therefore,keep an eye on the care burden,physical and mental health of the primary caregivers also means we are caring about the patients' related conditions.?This study showed that the primary caregivers mainly are the patients 'parents(83.1%).There are 49.2%of primary caregivers do not work and take care of the patients.And 59.3%of the primary caregivers took care of the patients more than 1 year(76.3%of the patients had the scoliosis for more than 1 year).?There are 5.1%of the primary caregivers with a low level social support,and 27.1%primary caregivers live with moderate or severe care burden.?52.5%of the primary caregivers had "anxiety/depression" problems and feel "life worse than death".?There are 37.3%patients' medical expenses need pay by their family,and none of the patients are covered by commercial insurance.Meanwhile,the scoliosis'treatment always means it requires higher costs,which leads the financial burden of the patient's family much heavier.So,for patients and their families with high level of care burden,low level of social support,and demands of medical aid,it is necessary to assist them explore,mobilize or integrate any available resources to use by the medical social workers,which also means to reduce the pressure and burden of patients who are seeking for medical treatment effectively,and to enable the patients can obtain a better "social support".(3)In order to make contributions to the betterment of hospitals' medical social work,the medical social workers' should be under constant development and serve for patients' wellness.Although there are some mature services methods,ways and strategies of medical social work services have formed in hospital S,when it put into practice,there are still some predicaments exist,like patients have a much lower availability of medical social work and so on.Besides,all of the medical social workers think each patient should be served by social workers in hospital S.Therefore,it is necessary to optimize the tactics and enlarge the scope of medical social work services in hospital S.And all of the hospitals should be committed to improving the quality of medical services and meeting the patients' health demands.This requires medical services providers including medical social workers coordinate available resources.However,when implement the tactics advocated and established in this study,there are some appropriate adjustments should be taken,because of the circumstance of hospitals and types or demands of patients are different.ConclusionsIt is difficult to meet patients' health demands just by clinical diagnosis and treatment.Besides,patients' health demands come from many aspects,so there are also some other health demands should to be considered,which may have influence on patients' health.With the health conditions of patients be measured and evaluated,we can see the necessity of medical social work services in hospital,and provides reference for the emphasis of medical social work services.The discussion of the countermeasures of medical social work services on meeting patients' health demands would also be beneficial to the medical social works' development in hospitals.Policy SuggestionsLast but not least,to meet the goal of patients' wellness can be obtained and a much better medical social work services can be supplied in hospitals,this study gave some policy suggestions as following:? Training more expert medical social workers and bend themselves to meet patients' health demands.? Forming medical-service-team concept and mechanism for patients5 wellness.? Attaching great importance to the propaganda work of hospitals' medical social work and wellness related services.?Giving more well-suited policies and funds inclination to medical social work,and do more study on the related area.?Improving the quality of medical services and increase the humanistic care for patients in hospitals,etc. |
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