Interventions in Palliative Social Work Practice

Abstract

Abstract Social work intervention in palliative care is a key element of effective team-based practice and has significant implications for patients’ outcomes. Intentional integration of evidence-based and evidence-informed modalities that flows from a multidimensional assessment process is at the core of competent practice. With each clinical encounter, social workers make practice choices, selecting interventions that impact patient care, teamwork, and outcomes. This chapter provides a rationale for this practice, defines pathways to ensure accountability to diverse stakeholders, including patients and their families, and describes a logic model to guide social workers in the process of assessment and intervention. Taken together, these elements ensure ethical, effective and accountable social work practice in palliative care.