We report on a qualitative study exploring health social workers&... more We report on a qualitative study exploring health social workers' understanding of complexity in relation to inpatients in subacute wards at three sites across a large health network in Melbourne, Australia. Findings indicate that social workers' understanding of complexity refers to five interrelated themes: multiple competing demands; uncertainty; patient and family characteristics; pending breakdown; systems challenges. Social workers with less practice experience report that complex clients present more challenges than do social workers with greater experience. Implications of these findings for advancing practitioners' capacities in working with complex patients are discussed, as are the limitations of the study.
... Sara's funeral). Jane: (At Betty's funeral) we watched the doves flybeauti... more ... Sara's funeral). Jane: (At Betty's funeral) we watched the doves flybeautiful! Norma: The card I bought for Betty's family had a dove on it (after Betty's funeral). Jo: Tanya's funeral was very sad. Ben (her son) was very upset. The ...
Disinvestment (removal, reduction, or reallocation) of routinely provided health services can be ... more Disinvestment (removal, reduction, or reallocation) of routinely provided health services can be difficult when there is little published evidence examining whether the services are effective or not. Evidence is required to understand if removing these services produces outcomes that are inferior to keeping such services in place. However, organisational imperatives, such as budget cuts, may force healthcare providers to disinvest from these services before the required evidence becomes available. There are presently no experimental studies examining the effectiveness of allied health services (e.g., physical therapy, occupational therapy, and social work) provided on weekends across acute medical and surgical hospital wards, despite these services being routinely provided internationally. The aim of this study was to understand the impact of removing weekend allied health services from acute medical and surgical wards using a disinvestment-specific non-inferiority research design. ...
Supportive-Expressive Group Therapy (SEGT) has been developed and manualised in the research sett... more Supportive-Expressive Group Therapy (SEGT) has been developed and manualised in the research setting, but there have been few clinical accounts of its utility. In this qualitative review of its application in the Melbourne-based randomised control trial (RCT) for women with advanced breast cancer, SEGT is considered from the perspective of the structure and framework of therapy, its therapists, the issues that develop in exploring its common themes and what constitutes a well functioning group. Groups move through identifiable developmental phases. The mature group process transforms existential ambivalence into creative living, evidenced by humour, celebration, assertiveness, altruism, new creative pursuits and eventually courageous acceptance of dying. Challenges and pitfalls include avoidance, non-containment of ambivalence, intolerance of difference, anti-group phenomena and splitting. A key element is the medicalization of the group culture whereby members and co-therapists explore health beliefs and attitudes about care. This promotes compliance with anti-cancer treatments, including both the initiation of and perseverance with chemotherapy. This mechanism could prove to be a potentially important pathway in promoting longer survival.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 00981389 2013 834032, Nov 20, 2013
We report on a qualitative study exploring health social workers&... more We report on a qualitative study exploring health social workers' understanding of complexity in relation to inpatients in subacute wards at three sites across a large health network in Melbourne, Australia. Findings indicate that social workers' understanding of complexity refers to five interrelated themes: multiple competing demands; uncertainty; patient and family characteristics; pending breakdown; systems challenges. Social workers with less practice experience report that complex clients present more challenges than do social workers with greater experience. Implications of these findings for advancing practitioners' capacities in working with complex patients are discussed, as are the limitations of the study.
More than 400 abstracts from the April 2015 conference of research in social work conference of t... more More than 400 abstracts from the April 2015 conference of research in social work conference of the ESWRA, which was held in Ljubljana in April 2015; Welcome address by Darja Zaviršek, chair;
We report on a qualitative study exploring health social workers&... more We report on a qualitative study exploring health social workers' understanding of complexity in relation to inpatients in subacute wards at three sites across a large health network in Melbourne, Australia. Findings indicate that social workers' understanding of complexity refers to five interrelated themes: multiple competing demands; uncertainty; patient and family characteristics; pending breakdown; systems challenges. Social workers with less practice experience report that complex clients present more challenges than do social workers with greater experience. Implications of these findings for advancing practitioners' capacities in working with complex patients are discussed, as are the limitations of the study.
... Sara's funeral). Jane: (At Betty's funeral) we watched the doves flybeauti... more ... Sara's funeral). Jane: (At Betty's funeral) we watched the doves flybeautiful! Norma: The card I bought for Betty's family had a dove on it (after Betty's funeral). Jo: Tanya's funeral was very sad. Ben (her son) was very upset. The ...
Disinvestment (removal, reduction, or reallocation) of routinely provided health services can be ... more Disinvestment (removal, reduction, or reallocation) of routinely provided health services can be difficult when there is little published evidence examining whether the services are effective or not. Evidence is required to understand if removing these services produces outcomes that are inferior to keeping such services in place. However, organisational imperatives, such as budget cuts, may force healthcare providers to disinvest from these services before the required evidence becomes available. There are presently no experimental studies examining the effectiveness of allied health services (e.g., physical therapy, occupational therapy, and social work) provided on weekends across acute medical and surgical hospital wards, despite these services being routinely provided internationally. The aim of this study was to understand the impact of removing weekend allied health services from acute medical and surgical wards using a disinvestment-specific non-inferiority research design. ...
Supportive-Expressive Group Therapy (SEGT) has been developed and manualised in the research sett... more Supportive-Expressive Group Therapy (SEGT) has been developed and manualised in the research setting, but there have been few clinical accounts of its utility. In this qualitative review of its application in the Melbourne-based randomised control trial (RCT) for women with advanced breast cancer, SEGT is considered from the perspective of the structure and framework of therapy, its therapists, the issues that develop in exploring its common themes and what constitutes a well functioning group. Groups move through identifiable developmental phases. The mature group process transforms existential ambivalence into creative living, evidenced by humour, celebration, assertiveness, altruism, new creative pursuits and eventually courageous acceptance of dying. Challenges and pitfalls include avoidance, non-containment of ambivalence, intolerance of difference, anti-group phenomena and splitting. A key element is the medicalization of the group culture whereby members and co-therapists explore health beliefs and attitudes about care. This promotes compliance with anti-cancer treatments, including both the initiation of and perseverance with chemotherapy. This mechanism could prove to be a potentially important pathway in promoting longer survival.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 00981389 2013 834032, Nov 20, 2013
We report on a qualitative study exploring health social workers&... more We report on a qualitative study exploring health social workers' understanding of complexity in relation to inpatients in subacute wards at three sites across a large health network in Melbourne, Australia. Findings indicate that social workers' understanding of complexity refers to five interrelated themes: multiple competing demands; uncertainty; patient and family characteristics; pending breakdown; systems challenges. Social workers with less practice experience report that complex clients present more challenges than do social workers with greater experience. Implications of these findings for advancing practitioners' capacities in working with complex patients are discussed, as are the limitations of the study.
More than 400 abstracts from the April 2015 conference of research in social work conference of t... more More than 400 abstracts from the April 2015 conference of research in social work conference of the ESWRA, which was held in Ljubljana in April 2015; Welcome address by Darja Zaviršek, chair;
Uploads
Papers by Fiona Med