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European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 1551
Medical Social Work: A Methodological Overview
*Dr. Mohd Shakil
* Department of Social Work, School of Humanities and Social Sciences,
Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, U.P. 201310, Available at: shakilmswamu@gmail.com
Abstract
Medical social work profession encompasses activities directed to improve human and social
conditions and alleviate human’s stress and psycho-social problems. Medical social workers
typically work in a hospital, outpatient clinic, community health agency, long-term care facility
or hospice. They work with patients and their families in need of especially psychological
assistance. In addition to clinical roles, social workers are also employed in hospital leadership
roles, and may serve as mangers or administrators for specific hospital programs such as mental
health, aging or community outreach. Many social scientists are of the opinion that health is
misunderstood with treatment which is not a precondition for good health. The consciousness of
the people, culture and power of the dominant classes influence the concept of health and
approaches to control health problems. Thus, social forces or factors are very vital for the health
of the masses. In this backdrop, this paper surfaces the knowledge about the methodological
understanding how medical social workers play their roles and shoulder the responsibilities to
work in healthcare settings.
Key Words: Medical, Hospital, Social Work, Clients, Family Members, Functions and Roles.
Introduction
Social work profession emerged early in the twentieth century and today it is the profession
charged with accomplishing the social welfare mandate of promoting well-being and quality of
life. It encompasses activities directed to improve human and social conditions and alleviate
human’s stress and psycho-social problems. Social workers, being caring professionals, work
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European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 1552
with people to enhance their competence and social functioning, to access social supports and
resources to create humane and responsive social services, and to expand the structures of
society that provide opportunities for all citizens (DuBois & Miley, 1999). Practice in social
work and the human services involve helping a wide variety of human beings who require
assistance in dealing with problems in their lives or providing social services to people so that
they can live their lives more effectively and efficiently. Children and their families, young
people, people with physical or intellectual disabilities, with mental health, needs, and problems
associated with old age, and issues faced by communities are all the broad focus of these services
under social work practice (Hugman, 2013).
Medical Social Work
Medical social work is a sub-discipline of social work, also known as hospital social work.
Medical social workers typically work in a hospital, outpatient clinic, community health agency,
long-term care facility or hospice. They work with patients and their families in need of
especially psychological assistance. Role of a medical social worker is to restore balance in an
individual’s personal, family and social life in order to help that person maintain or recover
his/her health and strengthen his/her ability to adapt and reintegrate into society. Professionals in
this field typically work other disciplines such as medicines, nursing, physical, occupational,
speech and recreational therapy. Introduction of medical social in India work was influenced by
the work of lady almoners of Britain and medical social workers in America. The physicians of
India who visited Britain and America for study got the opportunity to observe the activities of
almoners and medical social workers. After returning in India, some of the physicians were very
interested to start similar activities in hospitals or clinics. The first medical social worker in India
was appointed in 1946 in the J. J. Hospital in Bombay. Gradually, medical social workers began
to be appointed in other hospitals and clinics of India (Acharya, 2018). In addition to clinical
roles, social workers are also employed in hospital leadership roles, and may serve as mangers or
administrators for specific hospital programs such as mental health, aging or community
outreach (https://www.socialworkers.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=o7o0IXW1R2w%3D&p
ortalid=0).
Page 3 of 10
European Journal of Business &
Social Sciences
Available at https://ejbss.org/
ISSN: 2235-767X
Volume 07 Issue 05
May 2019
Available online: https://ejbss.org/ P a g e | 1553
Social work as a specialized field, grounded in scientific knowledge and skills, is more
inclined towards problem solving process rather than charity focused approach. Medical social
work, as a primary method, deals with the bio-psychosocial-spiritual elements of an individual
with a problem and assesses the pliability and strength of the patients, social support systems and
their families, to assist the patients resolve their problems independently. Medical social worker
also known as case-worker or care-worker, has to play a substantial roles in the rehabilitation and
retrieval of a person (Hasan, 2016). The importance of social work in healthcare is often
underestimated even though social work can provide knowledge and skills that healthcare
organizations and institutions could use to help their patients. Patients with health problems often
experience personality and social environment difficulties while trying to manage their disease,
especially chronic diseases. The overall goal of social work in healthcare is to prevent and reduce
negative social and psychosocial consequences of diseases and to encourage and teach these
patients how to use their own resources. This work includes helping individuals find strategies to
cope with the difficulties of living with a chronic disease (Sverker, Ostlund, Borjeson,
Hagerstrom, and Gafvel (2017).
Health problems of a community are seen as outcomes of interaction between certain
causative agents and individuals which are mediated by the environmental conditions. In other
words, the malfunctioning of social system in terms of population explosion, unemployment,
poverty, ignorance, old age, unhygienic living conditions, bad housing, poor nutrition,
incompatible dietary habits, poor quality of sanitary facilities, lack of safe drinking water are the
causes of ill health. It is mostly assumed that ill health is only a symptom of social
disequilibrium. In medical science, curing illness or good health has been postulated as a result
of application of medicine. Many social scientists are of the opinion that health is misunderstood
with treatment which is not a precondition for good health. The consciousness of the people,
culture and power of the dominant classes influence the concept of health and approaches to
control health problems. It is clear that social forces or factors are very vital for the health of the
masses (Acharya, 2018). Urban and rural communities facing poverty, high unemployment, lack
of infrastructure, environmental problems, and disinvestment often seem beyond help.
