scholarly journals Practising ethically during COVID-19: Social work challenges and responses

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 569-583
Author(s):  
Sarah Banks ◽  
Tian Cai ◽  
Ed de Jonge ◽  
Jane Shears ◽  
Michelle Shum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
International Study ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Qualitative Survey ◽  
Complex Decision Making ◽  
Complex Decision ◽  
The Impact

This article draws on findings of an international study of social workers’ ethical challenges during COVID-19, based on 607 responses to a qualitative survey. Ethical challenges included the following: maintaining trust, privacy, dignity and service user autonomy in remote relationships; allocating limited resources; balancing rights and needs of different parties; deciding whether to break or bend policies in the interests of service users; and handling emotions and ensuring care of self and colleagues. The article considers regional contrasts, the ‘ethical logistics’ of complex decision-making, the impact of societal inequities, and lessons for social workers and professional practice around the globe.

Abstract TP310: Effect of an Extended Treatment Window on Transfer Times in Patients With Stroke

Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawn K Beland ◽  
Ilene Staff ◽  
Jenna Beckwith ◽  
Amre Nouh
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Process Of Care ◽  
Patient Demographics ◽  
Complex Decision Making ◽  
Complex Decision ◽  
Stroke Type ◽  
Comprehensive Stroke Center ◽  
Stroke Center ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Transfer Times

STK-OP-1 examines transfer times for patients going to a higher level of care. Known as door in, door out or DIDO, certified stroke centers are required to report times for both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients transferred to a Primary or Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC). Purpose: Barriers to time-sensitive transfer and complex decision making are common. As a result, Hartford Healthcare (HHC) began a QI initiative to measure DIDO times while introducing advanced CTP imaging and treatment in the extended window, April 2018. This project evaluates the impact on DIDO. Methods: This multi-center QI project evaluated data pre and post implementation for stroke transfers to the CSC. Pre-implementation was May 2017 to April 2018, post-implementation May 2018 to March 2019. Patient and process of care data abstracted from Epic was entered into Excel. The main analysis compared median DIDO times using Wilcoxon Ranked Sum. Results: Data were collected on hospital, stroke type/severity and treatments administered; patient demographics, and key timing variables of door in/door out, EMS and CT. While there is no universal criterion for DIDO, 60 minutes is often the ultimate goal with 90 or 120 minutes as intermediate goals. Pre and post implementation median DIDO times for all hospitals were 117 and 139 minutes (p = 0.02), for HHC hospitals 115 and 137 minutes (p = 0.027) and for non-HHC hospitals 118 and 140.5 minutes (p = 0.423). Of the pre-implementation group, 7.8% had CTP imaging prior to transfer compared with 9.3% post. Extended times post-implementation include factors such as complex decision making, patient eligibility or hospital capacity issues. A new transfer algorithm was implemented April 2019. Future analyses will correlate DIDO with patient, stroke and treatment categories to better define delays and barriers. Relevance: A JC directive to CSCs are to develop supportive relationships with referring hospitals to facilitate efficient care. As decision making becomes more complex, the process for transfer needs to improve. DIDO goals need to be realistic to prevent secondary imaging at the CSC, i.e. the tradeoff for an extra 15 or 20 minutes should translate into shorter door to puncture times. Reducing the time to treatment may help improve patient outcomes.

Radical Hope

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Krumer-Nevo
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Critical Social Work ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The Impact

This book describes the new Poverty-Aware Paradigm (PAP), which was developed in Israel through intense involvement with the field of social work in various initiatives. The paradigm was adopted in 2014 by the Israeli Ministry of Welfare and Social Services as a leading paradigm for social workers in social services departments. The book draws from the rich experience of the implementation of the PAP in practice and connects examples of practice to theoretical ideas from radical/critical social work, critical poverty knowledge, and psychoanalysis. The PAP addresses poverty as a violation of human rights and emphasizes people’s ongoing efforts to resist poverty. In order to recognize these sometimes minor acts of resistance and advance their impact, social workers should establish close relationship with service users and stand by them. The book proposes combining relationship-based practice and rights-based practice as a means of bridging the gap between the emotional and material needs of service users. In addition to introducing the main concepts of the PAP, the book also contributes to the debate between conservative and cultural theories of poverty and structural theories, emphasizing the impact of a critical framework on this debate. The book consists of four parts. The first, “Transformation”, addresses the transformational nature of the paradigm. The second, “Recognition”, is based on current psychoanalytic developments and “translates” them into social work practice in order to deepen our understanding of relationship-based practice. The third, “Rights”, describes rights-based practice. The fourth, “Solidarity”, presents various ways in which solidarity might shape social workers’ practice. The book seeks to reaffirm social work’s core commitment to combating poverty and furthering social justice and to offer a solid theoretical conceptualization that is also eminently practical.

scholarly journals Supporting surgeons in patient-centred complex decision-making: a qualitative analysis of the impact of a perioperative physician clinic

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. e033277
Author(s):  
Clarabelle T Pham ◽  
Catherine L Gibb ◽  
Robert A Fitridge ◽  
Jon Karnon ◽  
Elizabeth Hoon
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Elective Surgery ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Complex Patients ◽  
Complex Decision Making ◽  
Complex Decision ◽  
Additional Value ◽  
The Impact ◽  
High Risk Clinic

ObjectivePatients with comorbidities can be referred to a physician-led high-risk clinic for medical optimisation prior to elective surgery at the discretion of the surgical consultant, but the factors that influence this referral are not well understood. The aims of this study were to understand the factors that influence a surgeon’s decision to refer a patient to the clinic, and how the clinic impacts on the management of complex patients.DesignQualitative study using theoretical thematic analysis to analyse transcribed semi-structured interviews.SettingInterviews were held in either the surgical consultant’s private office or a quiet office/room in the hospital ward.ParticipantsSeven surgical consultants who were eligible to refer patients to the clinic.ResultsWhen discussing the factors that influence a referral to the clinic, all participants initially described the optimisation of comorbidities and would then discuss with examples the challenges with managing complex patients and communicating the risks involved with having surgery. When discussing the role of the clinic, two related subthemes were dominant and focused on the management of risk in complex patients. The participants valued the involvement of the clinic in the decision-making and communication of risks to the patient.ConclusionsThe integration of the high-risk clinic in this study appears to offer additional value in supporting the decision-making process for the surgical team and patient beyond the clinical outcomes. The factors that influence a surgeon’s decision to refer a patient to the clinic appear to be driven by the aim to manage the uncertainty and risk to the patient regarding surgery and it was seen as a strategy for managing difficult and complex cases.

scholarly journals Two consultants for one patient: service users' and service providers' views on ‘New Ways’

2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 181-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankush Singhal ◽  
Deepak Garg ◽  
Alok Kumar Rana ◽  
Miriam Naheed
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Clinical Implications ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Community Settings ◽  
Patients Satisfaction ◽  
Qualitative Survey ◽  
Level Of Satisfaction ◽  
Patient Service ◽  
The Impact ◽  
And Training

Aims and methodTo investigate, through a semi-qualitative survey at three geographical sites, health professionals' and service users' opinion about the impact of providing separate consultants for in-patient and community settings. It looked at the perceived affect on various issues such as the course of the illness, service delivery, patients' satisfaction as well as the skills and training of psychiatrists.ResultsOpinion was divided about the level of satisfaction, advantages, consultants' skills and success of this model. The most consistent theme related to the problems with the continuation of care and therapeutic relationship. Most of the respondents were not fully informed about this change. An overwhelming majority believed that in-patient psychiatry is not a separate specialty.Clinical implicationsCommunication and the sharing of information between the two consultants is the key to success in this model.

scholarly journals A Hybrid Tool for Visual Pollution Assessment in Urban Environments

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khydija Wakil ◽  
Malik Asghar Naeem ◽  
Ghulam Abbas Anjum ◽  
Abdul Waheed ◽  
Muhammad Jamaluddin Thaheem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pollution Assessment ◽  
Observation Point ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Complex Decision Making ◽  
Complex Decision ◽  
Developed World ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Reliable Methods

With increasing focus on more nuanced aspects of quality of life, the phenomenon of urban visual pollution has been progressively gaining attention from researchers and policy makers, especially in the developed world. However, the subjectivity and complexity of assessing visual pollution in urban settings remain a challenge, especially given the lack of robust and reliable methods for quantification of visual pollution. This paper presents a novel systematic approach for the development of a robust Visual Pollution Assessment (VPA) tool. A key feature of our methodology is explicit and systematic incorporation of expert and public opinion for listing and ranking Visual Pollution Objects (VPOs). Moreover, our methodology deploys established empirical complex decision-making techniques to address the challenge of subjectivity in weighting the impact of individual VPOs. The resultant VPA tool uses close-ended options to capture the presence and characteristics of various VPOs on a given node. Based on these inputs, it calculates a point based visual pollution scorecard for the observation point. The performance of the VPA tool has been extensively tested and verified at various locations in Pakistan. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first such tool, both in terms of quantitative robustness and broad coverage of VPOs. Our VPA tool will help regulators in assessing and charting visual pollution in a consistent and objective manner. It will also help policy makers by providing an empirical basis for gathering evidence; hence facilitating evidence-based and evidence-driven policy strategies, which are likely to have significant impact, especially in the developing countries.

Examining the Impact of Training and Feedback on Visualization-Supported Decision Making under Uncertainty

2018 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 1449-1453
Author(s):  
Jihye Song ◽  
Olivia B. Newton ◽  
Stephen M. Fiore ◽  
Jonathan Coad ◽  
Jared Clark ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Decision Making Under Uncertainty ◽  
Cognitive Efficiency ◽  
Training Interventions ◽  
Complex Decision Making ◽  
Complex Decision ◽  
Task Training ◽  
The Impact

Empirical evaluations of uncertainty visualizations often employ complex experimental tasks to ensure ecological validity. However, if training for such tasks is not sufficient for naïve participants, differences in performance could be due to the visualizations or to differences in task comprehension, making interpretation of findings problematic. Research has begun to assess how training is related to performance on decision-making tasks using uncertainty visualizations. This study continues this line of research by investigating how training, in general, and feedback, in particular, affect performance on a simulated resource allocation task. Additionally, we examined how this alters metacognition and workload to produce differences in cognitive efficiency. Our results suggest that, on a complex decision-making task, training plays a critical role in performance with respect to accuracy, subjective workload, and cognitive efficiency. This study has implications for improving research on complex decision making, and for designing more efficacious training interventions to assess uncertainty visualizations.

EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR SMART PHONE ATTRIBUTES IN MULTI-COUNTRIES

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (02) ◽  
pp. 1750016
Author(s):  
JONG SEOK KIM
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Smart Phone ◽  
Price Setting ◽  
Kano Model ◽  
Complex Decision Making ◽  
Complex Decision ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Optimal Designing

When conjoint experiments are applied to study complex decision making that wears many attributes, this sometimes results in problems of information overload and respondent burden, potentially weakening the validity of such experiments. To reduce the impact of these potential problems, an integrated hierarchical survey design (IHSD) to be used with Kano model for large conjoint analysis has been suggested. The author compared the utility of mobile phone's attributes for each market by analysing empirical data which wear obtained from 5,400 respondents (1,800 respondents per country) in UK, Saudi Arabia, and Philippines. In total 2,400 respondents in four segments. Firstly, UK showed importance mainly towards Camera, Memory_size, LTE, Brand, FM_transmitter which are the necessary things for a good smart phone. Secondly, Philippines revealed choice largely towards Camera, Brand, External_momory, Mobile_TV, and NFC. Finally, Saudi Arabia selected primarily Brand, Camera, External_memory, 3G, and GPS. The results of this study were successfully implemented for product planning, product development, and marketing strategy in terms of price setting, features prioritising, and optimal designing for new products in the mobile phone company.

scholarly journals Social Work Practices in the Multiethnic Urban Reality of Covid-19 in the Middle East: The Case of UAE

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 307
Author(s):  
Walaa Elsayed
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Remote Client ◽  
Emotional Burnout ◽  
The Impact

The study developed a set of universal challenges for social workers and investigated the impact thereof on social workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Based on a qualitative analysis of previous research, a set of 10 universal challenges was developed. A questionnaire was created, and a survey was conducted among 304 respondents currently employed as social workers in the UAE. The survey results showed that most survey respondents selected the risk of infection as the strongest challenge. Emotional burnout, lack of reliable information, limited resources, staff capacity, problems with social distancing, lack of instructions/protocols, remote client service, and inadequate education obtained average scores meaning that they are important but not critical. Scientists and practitioners can use this set of universal challenges to investigate pandemic-related challenges for social workers in various countries and regions.

scholarly journals How Does Part-Time Farming Affect Farmers’ Adoption of Conservation Agriculture in Jianghan Plain, China?

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (16) ◽  
pp. 5983
Author(s):  
Xin Yang ◽  
Yiming Sang
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Conservation Agriculture ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Jianghan Plain ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Multivariate Logistic Model ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Complex Decision Making ◽  
Complex Decision ◽  
The Impact

Part-time farming has been suggested by scholars to play an important part in farmers’ decision making, but seldom empirical evidence has been done on the field of conservation agriculture (CA) technology adoption worldwide. Based on the field survey data of 433 farmers in Jianghan Plain, China, this paper estimate the impact of part-time farming on farmers’ adoption of CA technology by applying the multivariate logistic model. The results show that 91.92% of the farmers adopted CA technology. Part-time farming had a highly significant positive influence on the likelihood of adoption. Moreover, the impact degree increased along with the deepening of part-time farming. In addition, farmers’ adoption behaviors were affected by gender, contracted land area, economic welfare cognition and social welfare cognition. Our results help to understand farmers’ complex decision-making on farmland and to promote the sustainable development of agriculture in Jianghan Plain. A somewhat targeted approach to design policies to support technological, policy and institutional interventions to encourage farmers to engage in part-time farming are recommended, especially in areas that share similar edaphic and climatic characteristics with Jianghan Plain.

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