Health & social work
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Health & social work · May 2011
ReviewHealth literacy: critical opportunities for social work leadership in health care and research.
One-third of U. S. adults do not have adequate health literacy to manage their health care needs; and low health literacy is a major concern due to its association with poor health outcomes, high health care costs, and health communication problems. Low health literacy is a potential driver of health disparities, and its alleviation is central to the values and concerns of the social work profession. ⋯ This gap reflects missed opportunities for social workers to contribute their expertise to the evolving field of health literacy and to strategically align their work with organizational and national priorities. To address this gap, this article provides an overview of health literacy, its relevance to social work, and its representation in disciplinary literature; and it outlines opportunities for health social workers to systematically incorporate health literacy concepts and tools into their practices with patients and families. Implications for a social work research and practice agenda in health literacy are discussed.
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Health & social work · May 2006
ReviewA practitioner's response to the new health privacy regulations.
The established professional practice requiring informed consent for the disclosure of personal health information with its implied right to privacy suffered a serious setback with the first federal privacy initiative of the Bush administration. The new Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 (P. ⋯ As the privacy paradigm shifts to balance the business interests of the health care industry with those of individual patients, this policy presents new challenges for protecting the confidential relationship between the practitioner and the patient. This article reviews the significant modifications in the new HIPAA regulations, briefly critiques these changes, and suggests strategies for practitioners to manage these changes.
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Health & social work · Aug 1997
ReviewUniversal health care coverage in the United States: barriers, prospects, and implications.
Universal health care coverage has long been a concern for social workers. This article examines barriers to and prospects for universal coverage in the United States. ⋯ S. health care system, discusses the debate over Medicare and Medicaid, and considers possible routes to universal coverage. The article also discusses implications for NASW and other supporters of a single-payer system.
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Health & social work · May 1996
ReviewImmunization among African American children: implications for social work.
Although childhood immunizations have proved to be one of the most effective means of preventing and controlling the spread of infectious and communicable diseases, thousands of preschool children, particularly children from urban African American poor families, are not being immunized. This article discusses the critical problem of low rates of immunization for this population and identifies ways social workers can play an active role in ensuring that more children are immunized. Immunization of preschool children is a function of the interrelationship among health-seeking behavior of parents, financial and nonfinancial barriers to health care, and provider practices that inhibit appropriate immunization. Improving access to existing public programs, facilitating community organization efforts, assisting communities through self-help and mutual-aid initiatives, and supporting national efforts can improve immunization status among poor children.