Week 5 - Met Burns social worker who has been on leave & Child injuries - Systems used for patient information

 

Week 5

I had the opportunity to meet with the social work clinician who has recently returned from health-related leave. Her approach to conducting assessments is both friendly and respectful, demonstrating compassion while remaining direct and effective in gathering information.

During the week, we received an urgent call from the emergency department regarding a child with burns around the genital area and concerns about potential mistreatment. The consultant’s initial clinical notes indicated that the burns might be an allergic reaction. To ensure a thorough assessment, the social worker took the proactive step of visiting the consultant while they were in the operating theatre. This action underscored the strong sense of whanaungatanga and respect that the social worker has within the multidisciplinary team (MDT). Although it is not common practice for professionals to take such measures, it was a highly effective way to ensure accurate information was obtained.

We then did a thorough bio-psychosocial assessment with the whānau, collecting detailed information about the incident, family dynamics, living situation, support systems, and financial status. We made sure to approach this with manaakitanga, focusing on empathy and respect throughout. Competency 7 really shone through here, as we engaged with the whānau without judgment, making sure their perspectives and needs were fully considered before the child’s discharge from the hospital.

For centuries, the Ministry of Health and hospital sectors relied on paper forms to document patient information. When medical history was needed, staff would have to sift through piles of files to locate a patient's records, which was time-consuming. However, over the past four years, as noted by an advanced social worker, each District Health Board (DHB) has been gradually transitioning to online servers. This shift allows all past and present medical information to be captured digitally, providing staff with up-to-date patient details. It has improved efficiency, as Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs) can now upload notes in a timely manner, and it has also proven to be cost-effective. This transition highlights the importance of advanced technology in achieving better outcomes for patients.

Comments

  1. Elias Martis28 November 2024 at 20:38

    Your identification of Te Whare Tapa Wha should have been mentioned in weeks 1-3. In weeks 4 to 6 you are expected to identify and review the practice issues and the role of technology within your organisation. Doing so would have added value.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 11 - Oranga Tamaki Core competencies

Image
This week the SWRB core competencies that were observed I focused on 1, 7 and 8. 1. Competence to practice social work with Māori 7. Competence to apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgements.  8. Competence to promote empowerment of people and communities to enable positive change. Working at the Oranga Tamariki Men's Rehabilitation Centre, I’ve had to balance my social work practice with cultural competency, social justice, and a focus on human rights, particularly when working with Māori men who are often dealing with trauma, incarceration, and rehabilitation. Culturally safe practice I aimed to create a culturally safe space for Māori patients by grounding my work in whanaungatanga by building strong, respectful connections with patients. I observed that collaboration is key to rehabilitation with whanau to develop a support plan ensuring that entire family were involved in their son’s rehabilitation journey. Critical thinking was crucial in asses...
Read more

Week 9 - Supervision within Te Whatu Ora

Image
Supervision within Te Whatu Ora comprised both one-on-one and group peer sessions, which was a new experience for me, as each supervisor had their own methods. During my time in supervision with the SAFA coordinator, we discussed the core competencies and how they aligned with my observations during my week in that role. We addressed my learning objectives and any challenges I faced. One area of ambiguity was the operational framework of SAFA and the specific responsibilities associated with the role, as it was newly established in Counties Manukau. This led to differing interpretations among staff regarding how the role should function within the family harm space. Another significant topic was the death of a patient, which we examined during professional supervision. We discussed the circumstances surrounding the event, what could have been done differently, and created a space for open dialogue to reflect on the incident and explore strategies for preventing similar occurrences in t...
Read more

Week 10 - SAFA - Safe guarding vulnerable adults from abuse - Core competencies focused on this week

Image
This week the SWRB core competencies that were observed I focused on 4, 5 and 9. 4. Competence to promote the principles of human rights and social economic justice. 5. Competence to engage in practice which promotes social change. 9. Competence to practice within legal and ethical boundaries of the social work profession. In this case, the police were called out because there were concerns about abuse in the whānau. However, the person involved was able to make their own informed decision and told the police they didn’t want any further action taken. Legally, the police couldn’t step in or forcibly remove them because there wasn’t enough evidence to justify it. New Zealand law requires clear evidence of abuse before any coercive action can be taken, and without that, the police couldn’t do anything. This situation really showed the gap between what the team expected and the legal limits of what could actually be done. The SAFA social worker understood the law and respected the individ...
Read more