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Social work after stroke : Identifying demand for support by recording stroke patients' and carers' needs in different phases after stroke
Padberg, Inken Knispel, Petra Zöllner, Susanne Sieveking, Meike Schneider, Alice Steinbrink, Jens Heuschmann, Peter U. Wellwood, Ian Meisel, Andreas
Padberg, Inken
Knispel, Petra
Zöllner, Susanne
Sieveking, Meike
Schneider, Alice
Steinbrink, Jens
Heuschmann, Peter U.
Wellwood, Ian
Meisel, Andreas
Abstract
Background
Previous studies examining social work interventions in stroke often lack information on content, methods and timing over different phases of care including acute hospital, rehabilitation and out-patient care. This limits our ability to evaluate the impact of social work in multidisciplinary stroke care.
We aimed to quantify social-work-related support in stroke patients and their carers in terms of timing and content, depending on the different phases of stroke care.
Methods
We prospectively collected and evaluated data derived from a specialized “Stroke-Service-Point” (SSP); a “drop in” center and non-medical stroke assistance service, staffed by social workers and available to all stroke patients, their carers and members of the public in the metropolitan region of Berlin, Germany.
Results
Enquiries from 257 consenting participants consulting the SSP between March 2010 and April 2012 related to out-patient and in-patient services, therapeutic services, medical questions, medical rehabilitation, self-help groups and questions around obtaining benefits. Frequency of enquiries for different topics depended on whether patients were located in an in-patient or out-patient setting. The majority of contacts involved information provision. While the proportion of male and female patients with stroke was similar, about two thirds of the carers contacting the SSP were female.
Conclusion
The social-work-related services provided by a specialized center in a German metropolitan area were diverse in terms of topic and timing depending on the phase of stroke care. Targeting the timing of interventions might be important to increase the impact of social work on patient’s outcome.
Keywords
social support, stroke, rehabilitation, social work, patient-centered care
Date
2016
Type
Journal article
Journal
BMC Neurology
Book
Volume
16
Issue
1
Page Range
1-8
Article Number
Article 111
ACU Department
School of Allied Health
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
License
CC BY 4.0
File Access
Open