The Role of the Social Worker in the Adult Critical Care Unit: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

Social workers provide care to patients and families in the adult critical care unit. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to more clearly identify the role of the social worker practicing in the intensive care unit. We conducted a comprehensive search of the literature using the Pubmed, Embase, ISI, Scopus, and Social Work Abstracts databases using the terms "intensive care," "critical care," and "social work." Articles were selected for review if they met the following criteria: formal studies or opinion papers whose primary focus was the role or scope of practice of the social worker in the adult critical care unit. Articles were selected and reviewed independently by two social work investigators. Our search retrieved 550 potentially relevant articles. Twelve full-text articles were deemed eligible for abstracting. Three of the articles were studies that examined different aspects of social work practice including implementation of a family assistance program, social work response to anxiety levels of families in critical care and common activities of critical care social workers. Nine articles were primarily opinion pieces. All of the opinion articles described psychosocial support and counseling as a primary role of critical care social work. Other frequently identified roles were crisis intervention, psychosocial assessment, facilitating communication, end-of-life care, and practical assistance. There is little empiric data describing the role of the critical care social worker. Consistent themes from the articles identified include the role of social workers as counseling professionals, facilitators of communication, and resource agents. Further research to identify formal assessment tools and outcome studies of specific counseling techniques will provide important information for best practice guidelines in this area.

Advocacy at the End of Life: Meeting the Needs of Vulnerable Latino Patients

“…Social workers are aptly trained to recognize the issues impacting vulnerable populations and to work with other health providers who are responsible for the quality of the medical care that impacts the dying experience. Although the social worker's role in health care settings traditionally entail facilitating communication between patients and medical team members (Hartman-Shea, Hahn, Fritz Kraus, Cordts, & Sevransky, 2011), all providers need to actively engage in advocacy in order to improve overall health outcomes and the quality of the dying experience. This entails assessing patients' needs to determine whether or not they have an adequate support system especially regarding EOL care plans which are often dependent upon the availability of family members for support.…”

Families’ experiences of their interactions with staff in an Australian intensive care unit (ICU): A qualitative study

“…Social workers are commonly a part of the multidisciplinary team in ICUs throughout Australia. The primary role of the social worker in ICU is focused on crisis intervention, psychosocial assessment, support and counselling as well as providing practical assistance (Hartman-Shea et al, 2011). This is similar in the Australian ICU context.…”

Thinking Big, Supporting Families and Enabling Coping: The Value of Social Work in Patient and Family Centered Health Care

“…Families that receive coordinated care may be able to better care for the patient and deal with the emotional stress caused by the experience (Åstedt-Kurki, Lehti, Tarkka, & Paavilainen, 2004;Nelms & Eggenberger, 2010). In their systematic review, Hartman-Shea, Hahn, Fritz Kraus, Cordts, and Sevransky (2011) found that the social worker is a key facilitator of communication in health care. The extensive engagement with families during the time a family member is receiving medical care requires an initial assessment and subsequent understanding of families' communication patterns in order to effectively share information (Rose & Shelton, 2006).…”