Health professionals' attitudes on integrated care and social work practice

Area of Science:

• Social Work
• Integrated Care
• Behavioral Health

Background:

• Research on social work in integrated care is growing.
• However, limited research exists on healthcare professionals' attitudes towards social workers in integrated behavioral health (IBH) teams.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate healthcare professionals' attitudes regarding the role of social workers on IBH teams.
• To provide insights into the perception of social work's contribution to integrated care settings.

Main Methods:

• A survey was developed and administered to 104 health professionals from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work.
• Mixed methods were employed to analyze the collected survey data.

Main Results:

• Attitudes toward the inclusion and role of social workers on IBH teams were found to be generally favorable among the surveyed professionals.
• The findings indicate a positive reception of social workers within multidisciplinary behavioral health teams.

Conclusions:

• The study suggests a positive outlook from healthcare professionals on the integration of social workers into IBH teams.
• These findings support the expanding role of social work in collaborative, integrated healthcare models.