Volume 20, Issue 2 (2024)
ioh 2024, 20(2): 103-118 |
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Mohaghegh B, Sabzi M, Javadi S M H, Noruzi S, Sayar S, Abedi A A et al . Workload Measuring in Social Work Services: Iran's Governmental Hospitals. ioh 2024; 20 (2) :103-118
URL: http://ioh.iums.ac.ir/article-1-3469-en.html
URL: http://ioh.iums.ac.ir/article-1-3469-en.html
Bahram Mohaghegh 
, Mohammad Sabzi * , Seyyed Mohhamad Hossein Javadi , Sara Noruzi , Soraya Sayar , Ali Akbat Abedi , Tahereh Azari Arghun
, Mohammad Sabzi * , Seyyed Mohhamad Hossein Javadi , Sara Noruzi , Soraya Sayar , Ali Akbat Abedi , Tahereh Azari Arghun
, Department of Social Work, School of Behavioral Sciences, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran , m.khoshnam64@gmail.com
Abstract: (1017 Views)
Introduction: One of the most important but neglected services in hospitals is social work services(SWSs), which, due to the increase in social harms and treatment costs as well as psychosocial and social needs of patients, are of great importance. This study aimed to measure the workload of SWSs in Iranian governmental hospitals.
Methods and Materials: This descriptive-explanatory study was conducted cross-sectional and with quota sampling method in 58 government hospitals in 2019-2020. The samples were purposefully selected from 10 regions of higher education spatial planning of the country. Considering the importance of measuring the volume of SWSs in all types of specialized and sub-specialized hospital beds, 3 general hospitals were selected from each region, and according to the frequency of single-specialty hospitals in the country, 1 to 5 cases of each were included, so that the number 32 general hospitals and 26 single specialty hospitals including pediatrics, psychiatry, gynecology and obstetrics, heart, eye, burn, dermatology and oncology were considered. The main tool for data collection was a researcher-made form for registering SWSs to patients, which was completed by social workers for six non-consecutive working days. The average time of interventions as well as the additional activities of social workers were collected using two forms; that were finalized in an expert group. The data was analyzed through Excel software.
Results: The results showed that the norm of required FTE Social work per hundred hospital bed ranged from 0.42 to 5.48. The highest values belonged to adult oncology (3.85) and psychiatry (4.51) beds, and the lowest values were immunology (0.42), postpartum (0.70) and sub-specialty ophthalmology beds. Among outpatient beds, the most and least norm were related to the chemotherapy (9.35) and thalassemia (0.13) beds, respectively.
Methods and Materials: This descriptive-explanatory study was conducted cross-sectional and with quota sampling method in 58 government hospitals in 2019-2020. The samples were purposefully selected from 10 regions of higher education spatial planning of the country. Considering the importance of measuring the volume of SWSs in all types of specialized and sub-specialized hospital beds, 3 general hospitals were selected from each region, and according to the frequency of single-specialty hospitals in the country, 1 to 5 cases of each were included, so that the number 32 general hospitals and 26 single specialty hospitals including pediatrics, psychiatry, gynecology and obstetrics, heart, eye, burn, dermatology and oncology were considered. The main tool for data collection was a researcher-made form for registering SWSs to patients, which was completed by social workers for six non-consecutive working days. The average time of interventions as well as the additional activities of social workers were collected using two forms; that were finalized in an expert group. The data was analyzed through Excel software.
Results: The results showed that the norm of required FTE Social work per hundred hospital bed ranged from 0.42 to 5.48. The highest values belonged to adult oncology (3.85) and psychiatry (4.51) beds, and the lowest values were immunology (0.42), postpartum (0.70) and sub-specialty ophthalmology beds. Among outpatient beds, the most and least norm were related to the chemotherapy (9.35) and thalassemia (0.13) beds, respectively.
Conclusion: The volume of SWSs in hospitals varies according to the composition of patients. Therefore, using the norms of SWs per occupied beds could be a practical method for estimating the needed social workers in hospitals.
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Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Qualitative and quantitative studies
Received: 2022/12/22 | Accepted: 2023/10/17 | Published: 2023/12/31
Received: 2022/12/22 | Accepted: 2023/10/17 | Published: 2023/12/31
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