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EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT PROTOCOL
SOCIAL WORK SERVICES TO PATIENTS TREATED FOR
LIFE-THREATENING CONDITIONS
I.
SCOPE OF SERVICE:
Social work staff are available to meet with patients/families impacted by trauma or lifethreatening illness and are responsible for assessing these needs on all trauma service patients.
Social work is available to help patients, families and staff cope with and manage acute traumatic
situations. Given the psychological sequelae to people who experience trauma, early intervention
is deemed essential. As such, the Emergency Department Social Worker is called when the
Trauma Team is activated and meets with most of the patients and/or families. In addition each
Patient Care Unit has designated social work staff available to work with trauma patients and
their families when they leave the Emergency Department.
All patients and family members of the patients who are admitted to the Emergency Department
by the Trauma Team can access social work services. The Emergency Department Social
Worker carries a special beeper that receives all Trauma Team pages and responds with the team.
Patients can be referred at any point in the hospital stay by physicians, nurses or family members.
Trauma patients who are admitted to the hospital receive social work services from the Social
Worker assigned to their patient care unit.
A.
Areas of Intervention
The patient/family/staff problem list can include but is not limited to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Patient identification
Location of next of kin
Crisis intervention
Assessment of ability to cope in the crisis
Mobilization of patient/family support
Liaison between family and health care system
Work with admitting and Emergency Department staff in cases where a patient has died
Management of emotional and concrete issues associated with an acute traumatic event
Post hospital planning
B.
Services Provided
1.
Trauma Care Social Work services are designed to meet the needs of the patients,
families and staff.
2.
Services include but are not limited to:
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a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
3.
II.
Crisis intervention counseling
Bereavement counseling
Psychosocial assessment
Post hospital planning
Patient/family conferences
Substance abuse evaluations and referrals
Information and referral for ongoing counseling and concrete services.
Trauma Care Social Workers provide consultation and liaison for patients, family
and hospital staff. They also attend patient rounds and relevant meetings for the
purpose of providing support to trauma patients. The Social Work staff are a
member of the Trauma Care Steering Committee and are responsible for setting
procedures of care & reviewing policies re: care of trauma patients.
POPULATION SERVED:
For the purpose of this protocol, adult patients suffering from life threatening conditions shall
include the following:
1. patients whose life threatening illness or traumatic injury is diagnosed or understood for the
first time by the patient/family member(s) during the Emergency Department visit,
2. family members of patients who expire during their Emergency Department visit,
3. family members of patients who are DOA (Dead On Arrival) in Emergency Department.
III.
REFERRAL PROCESS:
Patients and family are referred for supportive services by the nurse, physician, or case
manager by paging the Social Worker directly. The Emergency Department Social Worker is
also a part of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Trauma Team and is notified of all
traumas that come into the Emergency Department.
A. Social Work Role With Patients And Families Of Life-Threatening Conditions
The role of the social worker in the Emergency Department includes the following:
1.
helps with understanding of Emergency Department procedures; helps with setting
realistic expectations of Emergency Department visit,
2.
serves as liaison between medical team treating patient and family of patient,
3.
helps family adjust to event using intensive crisis counseling and psycho social support,
4.
refers patient and family (as appropriate) for continued crisis counseling and support,
5.
if patient is admitted, alert floor social worker to needs of family and patient.
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