Social work technician program

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Social Work
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• US emergency departments (EDs) face increasing patient volumes, leading to significant delays.
• These delays negatively impact patient and family satisfaction and may pose health risks.
• Existing healthcare systems struggle to adequately address patient and family needs during ED visits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate the Social Work Technician Program in an emergency department setting.
• To assess the program's impact on patient satisfaction and welfare.
• To determine the program's effectiveness in improving communication between medical staff and patients/families.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of the Social Work Technician Program, utilizing social work students nearing graduation.
• Students served as liaisons between medical personnel and ED patients and their families.
• Data collection focused on patient satisfaction, welfare indicators, and communication effectiveness.

Main Results:

• The program successfully enhanced patient satisfaction and welfare.
• Social work students provided valuable support, improving the patient experience.
• The initiative demonstrated a positive impact on ED patient care and communication.

Conclusions:

• The Social Work Technician Program is an effective strategy for mitigating ED delays and improving patient outcomes.
• Integrating social work students into EDs offers a dual benefit of enhanced patient care and practical educational experience.
• This model can be replicated in other healthcare settings to improve patient satisfaction and operational efficiency.