Clinical Social Work Journal最新文献

Objective: Differentiating scrub typhus from other acute febrile illnesses is difficult due to non-specificity of clinical symptoms and relative absence of eschar in Indian population. Antibody based serological tests are mainstay of scrub typhus diagnosis. To order to determine the performance of immunochromatography and IgM ELISA, immunochromatography and scrub typhus IgM ELISA were performed to detect the presence of antibodies against Orientia tsutsugamushi in acute serum of patients with acute febrile illness.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Microbiology, Civil Hospital Aizawl and Department of Microbiology, Civil Hospital Lunglei, Mizoram over a period of one year from October 1, 2018 to September 31, 2019. Serum samples from patients with acute febrile illness were processed for the detection of scrub typhus. A total of 253 samples were subjected to immunochromatography and IgM ELISA.

Results: Using scrub typhus IgM ELISA as gold standard, the sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value were calculated. Of the 253 serum samples tested, 36 were positive by both scrub typhus rapid test and IgM ELISA. 27 samples which were negative by scrub typhus rapid test reacted positive by IgM ELISA. 66 samples which were positive by scrub typhus rapid test were negative by IgM ELISA.

Conclusion: Owing to the limitations of scrub typhus rapid test and immunfluorescence assay (IFA), commercially available recombinant IgM ELISA which has a good sensitivity and specificity may be an alternative in laboratories with moderate set up.

Public outrage over police-involved deaths of people in mental health crisis has prompted governments to expand access to crisis services that partner police with social workers. Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams (MCIT) offer assessment and support for people in distress while averting escalation. Little attention has been given to the requisite competencies for social workers on MCITs. This narrative review, informed by crisis theory and the author's experience as an MCIT social worker, provides a roadmap of knowledge and skills to familiarize practitioners, educators, and students with this growing intervention model. Social workers on MCITs should have the capacity to engage complex clients, de-escalate tension, assess for risk, plan for safety, provide brief addiction counselling, diffuse interpersonal conflict, link clients with community resources, advocate for change, challenge systemic racism, build constructive relationships, and document services with awareness of relevant legislation. The role of social workers on MCITs is multifaceted and requires attention to balancing client well-being, client safety, and community safety. The practice insights discussed in this article are relevant to preventing harm and loss of life while facilitating engagement between clients and mental health services.

Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) have been integrating technology into psychotherapy practice for at least two decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically shifted the primary method of service delivery for diagnostic assessment and therapy to telebehavioral health. By developing telebehavioral health competencies, the 250,000 + LCSWs in the US can ensure and enhance the quality of care both during and after the COVID public health emergency (PHE). This article applies an evidence- and consensus-based, interprofessional telebehavioral health (TBH) competency framework to the field of social work. This framework was developed by the Coalition for Technology in Behavioral Science (CTiBS), initially published in 2017. It has seven competency domains: (1) clinical evaluation and care; (2) virtual environment and telepresence; (3) technology; (4) legal and regulatory issues; (5) evidence-based and ethical practice (comprised of Standards and Guidelines and Social Media); (6) mobile health and apps; and (7) telepractice development. The framework outlines three competency levels (novice, proficient, and authority) covering 49 specific objectives and 146 measurable competencies or practices. The TBH competencies support existing in-person clinical practices and are intended for trainees and practitioners who are implementing TBH in practice. This competency framework can also be used to integrate clinical social work professional development, research, and training. Additionally, considerations for other behavioral health professions regarding licensure, certification, and policy may apply to clinical social work. Future research is needed on implementation and evaluation of the competencies.

The K-12 school setting is often considered an ideal environment to provide social emotional programming for children and youths. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused most K-12 schools to close their physical doors and shift to telehealth approaches to fulfill students' academic and non-academic needs. For the first time, school social workers (SSWs), often responsible for the social emotional well-being of students, were required to provide social emotional services virtually. Subsequently, this research study explored SSWs' experiences implementing social emotional telehealth services in K-12 public schools during the spring semester of 2020. Twenty SSWs from nine school districts across three states participated in key informant interviews related to their experiences navigating their professional role during distance learning. Data were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. The findings highlight the barriers SSWs encountered when providing social emotional telehealth interventions, including poor attendance resulting in ineffective group interventions, technology-specific barriers, and concerns for students' privacy. Opportunities and potential solutions to strengthen telehealth in schools are discussed.