BUSSW Researchers Examine Role of Palliative Social Work in Interprofessional Care Teams
Increased demand for palliative care has made it more important than ever for the interprofessional teams providing the care to collaborate at the highest level of efficiency and success.
Researchers at Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW) investigated the role palliative social workers play in these teams in a recent study that collected feedback from palliative care colleagues at 16 hospitals across the United States, including nurse practitioners, physicians, and physician assistants.
Through interviews with the study participants, the researchers found that social workers’ role in interprofessional palliative care teams is central to developing and maintaining a positive therapeutic relationship between the patient and their care team. Palliative social workers assess and promote care that prioritizes the patient’s experience, creating the environment necessary to have difficult healthcare conversations and modulate emotionally complex discussions. They also provide continuity and connection throughout the hospital experience, and even support the well-being of their colleagues.
The study’s findings provide new insight into palliative social workers’ contributions to patient-centered palliative care teams, and lay the groundwork for understanding and developing the role of palliative social workers in hospitals and other care settings.
The study was published in the Journal of Interprofessional Care and co-authored by BUSSW doctoral candidate Arden O’Donnell, Professor Judith G. Gonyea, doctoral student Megan Nizza, and MSW/MPH dual degree alum Taylor Wensley.