Assessment of establishment results of social work units among some hospitals in Vietnam for the period 2011-2020

DOI: 10.18173/2354-1067.2021-0014

Abstract

 To gradually professionalize social work in hospitals, the establishment of social work units in hospitals is necessary in Vietnam's current context. The study's objective was to evaluate the establishment results of social work units among some hospitals in Vietnam for the period 2011-2020. The study was conducted from December 2019 to March 2020, with 503 hospitals, including hospitals at the central, provincial, and district levels nationwide. Our findings showed that the establishment prevalence of social work units among some hospitals was relatively high (exceeding the initial target). Human resources on social work were why some hospitals have not yet established social work units (accounting for the highest prevalence with 65.0%). The study results also showed that the larger the number of planned beds, the higher the establishment prevalence of social work units. There were four parts under social work units, including the patients’ support (59.6%), the communication (44.9%), the mobilization and resources allocation (40.8%), and the customer care (44.1%). The study also gave some suggestions to the Ministry of Health to establish social work units to be more effective in the coming time at some hospitals nationwide.