Differences in the Use and Perception of Telehealth Across Four Mental Health Professions: Insights From a Secondary Analysis of Qualitative Data.

There is growing evidence that the uptake and use of telehealth is influenced by the distinct specialty area or type of healthcare service provided, with mental health services presenting particular challenges. However, little is known about how telehealth use differs between different mental health professions, and no qualitative research has explored variations in telehealth use and perspectives at the profession level within Australian mental health services. To address this gap, we analyzed transcripts from 19 semi-structured interviews conducted with mental healthcare professionals in a local health district within New South Wales, Australia. A secondary analysis of the data revealed the distinct ways in which different mental health professions perceive and engage with telehealth depending on their specific role and approach to practice. Application of a systems theory lens highlighted the challenges each profession faces at different levels of telehealth engagement, and the macro-systemic power dynamics and hierarchies that shape profession-specific differences in telehealth use.

Developing Evidence-Based Practices: Lessons Learned from Implementing a Collaborative, Cross-Agency Substance Use Family Intervention.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to report experiences gained while conducting the research project, in which social workers' active participation was a core feature. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Guided by the implementation framework AIF (Active Implementation Framework) data were collected from multiple sources, such as minutes from guidance sessions, meetings with managers, booster days, and transcriptions of focus group interviews with social workers. RESULTS: Findings indicate that social workers need to receive training in research activities before program start and to have time for pre- and post-therapeutic session reflections To deliver and maintain an intervention like Me & my Family require cross-sectional cooperation and staff having academic degrees to develop reflections on program delivery. Research design experiences indicate that RCT methods proved difficult to accomplish. An additional finding was organizational structures in silos as a barrier to recruiting families. CONCLUSION: Involving social workers in doing research on practices concern needs for managerial support regarding scheduling, routines and interest in evidence-based practice, well-educated social workers, and special attention to research design in relation to clients' needs. Conclusions drawn from using the AIF framework include the need for continuous coaching and consultations as well as feed-back on results.

Effects of a hospital-based food security programme for children with complex diseases in an upper-middle-income country: a before-and-after study.

BACKGROUND: To reduce health inequities in paediatric patients with complex diseases, our hospital developed a food security programme in 2022. The programme aims to mitigate food insecurity (FI) in paediatric patients with oncological, transplantation and congenital cardiovascular diagnoses, by providing a monthly nutritious food supply that covers up to 50% of the patient's family food intake, accompanied by social and nutritional follow-up. In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of the programme on FI and nutritional status and describe its implementation. METHOD: We conducted a before-and-after study of patients who entered the programme in a 14-month period. We used the Escala Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Seguridad Alimentaria (ELCSA) scale score, FI level and nutritional status measures to assess the effect of the programme. We used the Wilcoxon and McNemar tests to assess changes in scores and proportions of patients with moderate and severe FI, respectively, 31.5%-14.4% (p=0.0008) and of moderate FI from 68.5% to 36.9%. RESULTS: 111 patients were included. They had a baseline median (IQR) ELCSA score=8 (7-11) that changed to 6 (4-9) (p<0.0001). Severe FI according to ELCSA changed from 31.5% to 14.4% (p<0.001) and moderate from 68.5% to 36.9% (p<0.001). We found no differences in nutritional status regarding height for age (49.5% vs 51.3%, p=0.76), weight for height (42.5% vs 59.1%, p=0.75) or body mass index for age (38% vs 46%, p=0.42) CONCLUSION: The programme reduced FI in families by improving its level to mild or moderate. Children who entered the programme maintained an appropriate nutritional status despite the considerable risk of malnutrition described for oncological paediatric patients and paediatric solid organ transplantation receptors.

Validation of the Attitudes toward Lying to People with Dementia (ALPD) Questionnaire among Social Workers in Spain.

Gerontological interventions should address the various geriatric syndromes suffered by the elderly, such as neurodegenerative diseases. Therapeutic lying is an effective and humanizing strategy to deal with dementia, used by various disciplines in the social and healthcare fields. This intervention strategy is made up of all the different responses to reality that are given to a person with cognitive impairment. This study analyzes the validity of the Spanish adaptation of the Attitudes toward Lying to People with Dementia (ALPD) questionnaire, given to 253 social workers who directly and indirectly intervened with older people suffering from cognitive impairment in public and private centers in Spain during the year 2022. The results of the validity and reliability analyses support the psychometric quality of ALPD for use in Spanish social workers. The statistical results indicate a good fit of the bifactor model (person-focused and lie-focused) and show the questionnaire to be reliable, with adequate psychometric properties. The article concludes with a discussion of practical, formative, and ethical challenges for social work in the field of geriatric services.

Asserting the visibility of social work in science.

Scientific evidence has shown that Social Work has frequently been considered a second-level discipline in the traditional sexist hierarchy, because pioneers and most social workers are women. The twofold objective of this article is to analyze the dynamics that overcome this consideration and to put forward actions to go further in the near future. The factors that limit these actions and those that make them possible are studied. This article exposes the dynamics of the current transformation of Social Work, namely, the increase in the importance of social impact in social research, the increase in interdisciplinarity, and the impact of interdisciplinary research.

Postsecular, Christian, or Humanistic Spirituality in Social Work within Secular Europe.

The spirituality discourse within social work has been developing for several decades, albeit more in the USA than in the states of the EU. Europe or the countries of the EU were characterised as an exceptional case because of their secularity. Social work in Europe is also typically secular. Nevertheless, the spirituality discourse within social work is slowly developing also in Europe. In social services, chaplains, pastoral workers and assistants, and similar professions are often more responsible for spiritual care than social workers. Should social workers approach spiritual issues from the client's point of view or from a theological stance or rather just from the social work perspective? What reasons and arguments can we formulate and express? This text will discuss both these questions and their context as well as the possible answers.

Online Delivery of Interprofessional Adverse Childhood Experiences Training to Rural Providers: Usability Study.

Background: The population health burden of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) reflects a critical need for evidence-based provider training. Rural children are also more likely than urban children to have any ACEs. A large proportion of providers are unaware of the detrimental effects of ACEs. There is a significant documented need for training providers about ACEs and trauma-informed care, in addition to a demand for that training. Objective: The objective was to develop, implement, and evaluate an online ACEs training curriculum tailored to Missouri providers, particularly those in rural areas given the higher prevalence of ACEs. Methods: From July 2021 to June 2022, we conducted literature reviews and environmental scans of training videos, partner organizations, clinical practice guidelines, and community-based resources to curate appropriate and tailored content for the course. We developed the ACEs training course in the Canvas learning platform (Instructure) with the assistance of an instructional designer and media designer. The course was certified for continuing medical education, as well as continuing education for licensed professional counselors, psychologists, and social workers. Recruitment occurred via key stakeholder email invitations and snowball recruitment. Results: Overall, 135 providers across Missouri requested enrollment, with 72.6% (n=98) enrolling and accessing the training. Of the latter, 49% (n=48) completed course requirements, with 100% of respondents agreeing that the content was relevant to their work, life, or practice; they intend to apply the content to their work, life, or practice; they feel confident to do so; and they would recommend the course to others. Qualitative responses supported active intent to translate knowledge into practice. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of interprofessional workforce ACEs training. Robust interest statewide reflects recognition of the topic's importance and intention to translate knowledge into practice.

"Striving Toward Equity for All": Social Work Faculty and Staff Define Social Justice.

PURPOSE: The guiding documents of the social work profession establish social justice as central to the discipline and practice of social work, yet there is little consensus on the meaning of the term. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine how faculty and staff in one school of social work defined social justice. METHODS: Data for this study were drawn from a school climate survey distributed within one school of social work with an explicitly stated commitment to social justice. Ninety-three staves and faculty responded to the open-ended question: How do you define social justice? FINDINGS: Three themes were identified in how participants defined social justice as a form of evidence-based meaning making: (1) equality, (2) equity, and (3) advocacy and action. DISCUSSION: We conclude this article by discussing implications for how social workers can incorporate a critical approach to defining social justice that extends beyond equality and equity. Specifically, we recommend that the profession work toward a common, evidenced-based understanding of social justice to effectively educate current and future social workers to dismantle systems of oppression at all levels of social work.

"Working within broken systems": Social workers bridge the fractures of U.S. healthcare: A qualitative inquiry on moral injury.

Healthcare social workers (HSWs) in the United States are integral to interdisciplinary teams and health services. HSWs have a unique role in healthcare, as they care for their patients' psychosocial needs, through case management and clinical services. There is a gap in understanding how HSWs are impacted by their healthcare work. This study aims to understand the experience of moral injury, a marker of well-being, amongst HSWs in one state in the United States. Moral injury is the moral transgression (or boundary breaking) by oneself or someone in a position of power in high stakes situations and the negative outcomes of those experiences. Using a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 HSWs in August of 2022. Thematic analysis was used to understand the lived experience of moral injury for HSWs. Three themes emerged: 1) HSWs' definition and examples of moral injury; 2) HSWs situated in the "in-between" of policy and practice; and 3) upholding social work values within the medical model. These findings impact healthcare practice and policy, in delineating what falls within the bounds of social work, changing the workflow of health services, and creating further opportunities for interdisciplinary training, well-being initiatives, and systems-level changes. The findings from this work highlight the importance of understanding the moral impact of healthcare work on social workers, which should be further examined in depth not only amongst HSWs but also across the healthcare workforce.

Hidden Populations for Healthcare Financial Protection in the Super-Aging Society: Closing the Gap Between Policy and Practice.

Despite the remarkable health achievements of Japan's universal health coverage since 1961, along with numerous social programs to ensure financial protection, a growing proportion of the older population reportedly experiences financial hardship for essential health care. The socio-behavioral and economic situation of the households in need and the effective policy interventions remain unknown. To identify the reasons behind older persons' financial hardship and the effective policy interventions, we performed a questionnaire survey of social workers in all hospitals, local government offices and social service agencies across six prefectures in Kansai region. Data from 553 respondents revealed that the financial difficulties related to health care are often closely intertwined with social and mental health hardships experienced by older people and their families. Notably, potentially helpful programs including 'free/low-cost medical treatment program' and the adult guardianship system for dementia were infrequently used. Moreover, male, social workers at local offices/agencies, and less than 10 years' professional experience associated with infrequent use of key protective programs. To close the gap between policy and practice, policies should focus on clients' daily living needs, and new frontline social workers should receive lifelong training that incorporates their own backgrounds, experiences, and values, including the use of anti-oppressive gerontological approaches. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10615-023-00914-x.

Enhancing Evidence-Based Practice in Rural Social Work: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to Identify Key Determinants.

PURPOSE: This study explores the application and extent of utilization of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) among rural social workers, identifying key factors such as attitudes, social pressures, and perceived barriers that influence its use. METHODS: Utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework, this research involved a comprehensive survey targeting rural social workers. The survey assessed their attitudes toward EBP, the social pressures, and the barriers in implementing EBP. Data from 91 participants were analyzed using multiple regression to determine how these factors impact EBP utilization. RESULTS: The analysis indicated that while attitudes toward EBP did not significantly affect its use, perceived ease of use, social pressures, and practical barriers were significant predictors. Interestingly, the data showed that external factors like organizational support and resource availability played a larger role than personal attitudes in the adoption of EBP. The regression model successfully explained 39% of the variance in EBP usage among rural social workers. DISCUSSION: The findings underscore the importance of external over internal factors in the adoption of EBP within rural settings. The study suggests that improving access to EBP resources and enhancing organizational support could facilitate more effective use of EBP among rural social workers. CONCLUSION: Effective implementation of EBP in rural areas necessitates addressing both perceived and actual barriers. Developing strategies to enhance resource availability and organizational support is recommended to boost EBP adoption, ultimately aiming to improve service outcomes and client well-being.

Navigating challenges and opportunities: perspectives on digital service development in substance use disorder treatment.

BACKGROUND: Some people with substance use disorders (SUD) can experience multiple co-occurring social problems. Digital solutions have been developed to support effective and cost-effective social welfare and healthcare in addictions treatment. Given the varying severity of problems from alcohol and other drug use, digital service tools can save money and provide tailored care. OBJECTIVE: In this study we aimed to understand the perspectives of those who develop digital service tools on people with SUD and treatment encounters. As a case, we interviewed those who have been involved in the development of a digital client segmentation tool The Navigator. METHODS: Ten (N = 10) semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals involved in digital client segmentation tool development and were analysed with inductive content analysis. Participants were asked about the development of the Navigator from the perspectives of their own role as developers, the clients, the effectiveness of the services, and decision-making processes. FINDINGS: Some people with SUD may face several obstacles when using digital services. Digital divide, feared or experienced stigma and biased attitudes, complex life situations, and difficulties in committing to treatment were identified as challenges. Nevertheless, digital solutions can offer the clients alternative ways of using the services that can better meet their individual needs. The anonymity and facelessness of digital solutions can reduce the fear of immediate judgement. Implementing digital solutions in substance use work poses challenges due to chronic staff shortages. Digitalisation often results in the creation of multiple simultaneously managed channels, potentially reducing time-consumption but increasing the perceived workload. There is a call for multi-professionalism, acknowledging inequalities between various disciplines within the field.

Effectiveness of education focused wraparound services to improve academic success for foster youth: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Youth with foster care experience are disproportionality burdened with poor academic outcomes compared to non-foster experience youth. The Fostering Academic Success in Education (FASE) pilot program provides comprehensive onsite educational case management services to foster care youth. OBJECTIVE: We used mixed methods to explore the effects of FASE on participating youth's academic performance and perceived self-efficacy to manage mental health services and support. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Between 2020 and 2023, the FASE pilot program was delivered to 40 middle and high school students involved in child welfare services and out-of-home placements. METHODS: Quantitative data comprised pre-post FASE intervention academic outcomes (GPA, attendance, and tardies) and the Youth Efficacy/Empowerment Scale-Mental Health (YES-MH). Paired sample t-tests and one-way ANOVA were used to assess difference in time outcomes. Qualitative generating questionnaires were administered to FASE youth and school personnel annually. RESULTS: After participating in FASE for one academic year, youths' GPA significantly improved (mean 2.38-2.80, p = .001), tardies significantly reduced (mean 3.78-3.1, p = .011), unexcused periods significantly reduced (mean 17.30-9.51, p = .018) and there was a significant improvement in YES-MH scores (mean 46.9-55, p = .001). Female youth had larger GPA and YES-MH score increases than male youth. FASE youth and personnel attributed academic success to the comprehensive support received by the program's educational social worker. CONCLUSIONS: The FASE program holds promise in improving academic performance and mental health self-efficacy among foster care-involved youth.

The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Social Work Students and Its Relation to Perceived Efficacy.

Social workers have a greater than average risk of suffering burnout syndrome. In the same way as the professionals, students too can suffer academic burnout. However, few empirical studies have studied burnout and protective factors in social work students exclusively. Emotional intelligence (EI) has been described as a protective factor for burnout both in the professional and the academic context. The present study aims to explore which components of EI predict the burnout domains in students studying a degree in social work, in Spain. To this end, 87 social work students completed a questionnaire in which information was gathered on EI, burnout, average grade in the degree, and sociodemographic variables. The regression analysis results indicate that the students with poorer academic success and from higher years reported greater symptoms of burnout. Regarding the components of EI, emotional clarity and emotional repair predict the academic efficacy perceived by the students. These results highlight the importance of including EI in academic policies to promote the design of EI training programs aimed at developing EI skills, particularly emotional clarity and emotional repair, as a way of improving the perception of efficacy in social work students.

Effect of a peer-led emergency department behavioral intervention on non-fatal opioid overdose: 18-month outcome in the Navigator randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Emergency departments (EDs) provide an opportunity to identify people at risk of overdose and reduce the risk. We evaluated the effect of an ED behavioral intervention delivered by peer recovery support specialists (PRSSs) on non-fatal opioid overdose. DESIGN: Two-arm, randomized trial. SETTING: Two EDs in Rhode Island, USA. PARTICIPANTS: ED patients presenting with an opioid overdose, complications of opioid use disorder or a recent history of opioid overdose (November 2018-May 2021). Among 648 participants, the mean age was 36.9 years, 68.2% were male and 68.5% were White. INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR: Participants were randomized to receive a behavioral intervention from a PRSS (n = 323) or a licensed clinical social worker (LICSW) (n = 325). PRSS and LICSW used evidence-based interviewing and intervention techniques, informed by their lived experience (PRSS) or clinical theory and practice (LICSW). MEASUREMENTS: We identified non-fatal opioid overdoses in the 18 months following the ED visit through linkage to statewide emergency medical services data using a validated case definition. The primary outcome was any non-fatal opioid overdose during the 18-month follow-up period. FINDINGS: Among 323 participants randomized to the PRSS arm, 81 (25.1%) had a non-fatal opioid overdose during follow-up, compared with 95 (29.2%) of 325 participants randomized to the LICSW arm (P = 0.24). There was no statistically significant difference in the effectiveness of randomization to the PRSS arm versus the LICSW arm on the risk of non-fatal opioid overdose, adjusting for the history of previous overdose (relative risk = 0.86, 95% confidence interval = 0.67-1.11). CONCLUSIONS: In Rhode Island, USA, over one-in-four emergency department patients at high risk of overdose experience a non-fatal opioid overdose in the 18 months post-discharge. We found no evidence that the risk of non-fatal opioid overdose differs for emergency department patients receiving a behavioral intervention from a peer recovery support specialist versus a licensed clinical social worker.

The growth of social work in palliative and end-of-life care in the United States: how did we get here?

A historical look back at the 'beginnings' of palliative social work in the United States provides a lens through which to view current areas of focus and future trends in hospice and palliative care with the objective of emphasizing the need for equitable practice approaches. The background and formative efforts to establish palliative social work in the United States as a specialty field of practice were scaffolded by the Project on Death in America, Open Society Institute's Social Work Leadership Development Award Program, and two Social Work Leadership Summits on End-of-Life and Palliative Care, which help to explain how we got here. In the development of the social work role in providing palliative and end-of-life care for individuals who are seriously ill and their families, several important functions unfolded naturally as part of our practice repertoire as professionals. Practitioners, researchers, advocates, policy developers, and more have advanced the field and strengthened palliative social work, especially as the profession addresses inequities and promotes quality of life. Social workers' administrative reports, academic literature, professional standards and educational programs, assessment tools, and evidence-informed practice interventions contribute to illuminating the roles that social workers have on interdisciplinary palliative care teams, while emphasizing the importance of leadership development. Social workers in palliative and end-of-life care are on a firm ground from which to move forward into the ever-evolving future of providing essential quality care at such a critical time in life.

Ethical Challenges in Social Work Licensing Examinations: A Call for Integrity and Strategies for Success.

This article discusses four questions. First, what is the operational framework of the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)? Second, how congruent is the ASWB's operational framework with social work values and ethics? Third, why do ASWB exam candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds-those who identify as African American, who are older, and who do not speak English as a first language-register comparatively lower pass rates in the clinical licensure examination? Fourth, what are ethically sound novel strategies for improving the ASWB exam? This article argues that (1) ASWB, in its present state, operates under a business model philosophy, which is incongruent with the social work value of integrity, and (2) the disparities in pass rates in the ASWB exam may reflect its lack of validity. This article also presents three relatively innovative strategies for restoring confidence and increasing success in the ASWB social work licensing exam and two contingent solutions to the problem of exam pass rate disparities based on race, age, and primary language. The implications of this study for social work stakeholders are also discussed.

The Human-Animal Bond and Older Adults: The Role of a Community-Based Organization's "Heart to Heart" Program.

In the field of gerontological social work, there is growing interest in further exploring and understanding human-animal bonds and relationships, a trend that accelerated significantly during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Community-based organizations are promising partners as they provide acknowledgment and support for older adults' relationships with their pets and the strengthening of the human-animal bond. This brief report discusses the history, impact, and potential of one community-based organization's annual Valentine's Day event, Heart to Heart. Initiated at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic by Animal Advocates of Greater Lafayette (AAGL), an Indiana-based community organization, Heart to Heart recognizes, celebrates, and supports older adults' bonds with their pets through delivering pet presents directly to older adults' homes. Despite the mounting evidence that pets provide support and comfort for people of all ages, but particularly older adults, social service agencies and programs that serve older adults are often reluctant to recognize the power of the human-animal bond. Heart to Heart allows our community to see and appreciate the strength of these relationships, contributing to new conversations and possibilities for keeping pets and people together through the lifespan.

Revisiting longitudinal qualitative studies in social work: considerations for design and methodological insights.

This paper undertakes an analysis and discussion of the methodological challenges and insights derived from three longitudinal qualitative studies, all conducted in Chile during the COVID-19 pandemic and subject to comprehensive theoretical-methodological reflection processes centred on their respective designs. This analysis makes a significant contribution to interdisciplinary discussions within social research, with a particular emphasis on longitudinal trajectories. First, we present a comparative analysis of three studies in social work, utilising Saldaña's questions addressing changes and learning in longitudinal studies. The first study explores the labour trajectories of researchers, the second focuses on the educational trajectories of students, and the last examines therapeutic alliance trajectories between social workers and families within the child protection system. Following this, we delve into the methodological decisions made by the research group during the execution of these longitudinal studies. This encompasses an examination of participant involvement, temporal definitions of the adopted designs, and the most suitable methodological tools for analysing change processes over time. The outcomes of this comparative analysis reveal the distinctive characteristics of the three longitudinal studies, providing insights into how the time dimension is explored within them. We highlight key criteria essential for consideration in longitudinal qualitative research, particularly regarding participants and methodology. In conclusion, we advocate for an expanded reflection within the realm of longitudinal qualitative methodology, encompassing aspects such as design choices, approaches to data analysis, integration of technology in information processing, and strategies for maintaining participant engagement.