Health & Social Work最新文献

Firearm-related suicide is a preventable yet leading cause of death in the United States, and screening for access to firearms in clinical settings is rare. The lack of screening in clinical practice may be compounded by the fact that clinicians are not often trained to effectively screen for access to lethal means. This article evaluates the effectiveness of the novel Engaging in Lethal Means Safety (ELMS) suicide prevention program. ELMS is a theoretically driven, empirically supported lethal means safety training program that trains mental health first responders in engaging clients in discussions of lethal means safety with a particular focus on firearm access and storage. Pretest, posttest, and one-month follow-up assessments measured knowledge of lethal means, confidence, and comfort in screening for access to lethal means, and future intent to counsel on means safety measures. All constructs increased significantly at posttest. Confidence was sustained at posttest. Comfort and intent to counsel levels decreased at follow-up but not to pretraining levels. Booster sessions are recommended for future iterations of the program to further sustain overall effects. Further, additional research using a treatment control is encouraged.

The current survey examined Veterans Affairs (VA) homeless service providers' experiences with electronic personal protective safety devices (EPPSDs). The survey was completed by 153 homeless service providers based at VA medical centers in New York, New Jersey, and Florida. The survey asked about feelings of safety while performing work duties, safety incidents, use of EPPSDs, and experiences with EPPSDs. Forty-three percent of respondents reported using an EPPSD at work. Respondents who used an EPPSD described using the technology primarily to check in while working in the community. Overall, feelings of safety and confidence in the ability to call for help while at work did not differ between providers who used an EPPSD and those who did not. These findings need replication in a larger sample. EPPSDs may not increase feelings of safety among homeless service providers. VA homeless service providers generally reported feeling safe at work. Feelings of safety were not significantly associated with using an electronic safety device.

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are vital components to helping address health equity and the social and economic factors that impact health and health outcomes. Two important aspects of SDOH to consider are informational access and accuracy. In an era increasingly influenced by digital platforms, this study delves into the significant role of social media as an SDOH. Through an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, this study captures mental health professionals' perspectives regarding the professional use of social media. The findings of this study reveal a need for further guidance on how to professionally utilize social media and address boundary and confidentiality concerns. Additionally, the findings demonstrate that social media could be a valuable tool for health education, community support, and public health messaging, and highlights a necessity for accurate informational accessibility. This study underscores the need for a nuanced understanding of social media's role in health, advocating for informed and strategic use in mental health practice.

Dynamic tools and advanced techniques, including Geographic Information System (GIS), have been developed to help close the health gap, a social work grand challenge. Unfortunately, these tools are underutilized in the field of social work. To address this gap, a systematic review of 53 studies was conducted, revealing the use of GIS methodologies such as spatial analysis, data visualization, spatiotemporal analysis, and spatial proximity analysis. Using these GIS methodologies, studies aimed to address a wide range of issues including health risk factors, environmental impacts on mental health, health disparities, and access to services. Five key themes emerged: environmental impact on health, GIS and community-based participatory research, risk factors and determinants of health, health disparities, and access to health and social services. GIS applications can help map health disparities, identify underserved areas for targeted interventions, analyze the impact of environmental factors on health, and facilitate community engagement through visual data representation. Future research should focus on exploring advanced GIS methodologies, such as predictive modeling and machine learning, to enhance healthcare disparity analysis and optimize resource allocation. Integrating advanced methodologies will deepen understanding of health disparities and improve prediction accuracy for timely interventions in underserved areas.

This study explores digital inclusion for youth in out-of-home placement within the child welfare system, a group impacted by significant social determinants affecting health. Recognized as a "super social determinant of health," digital inclusion holds promise in addressing key health factors, such as social relationships, support systems, and information access. The study surveyed 131 foster parents and 152 kinship providers across varied U.S. regions about access and use of technology among the youth in their care. Findings reveal that most of the youth in our study possess personal technological devices, and their caregivers facilitate access. Although the majority have access to technology, the rate is significantly lower than the general population of youth. Despite constraints contributing to a digital divide, caregivers note positive impacts, underscoring technology's role in sustaining social connections and fostering relationships. Closing the digital gap assumes critical importance in advancing health equity for this vulnerable demographic, underscoring the imperative for comprehensive digital inclusion strategies within the child welfare system.

This article details a pedagogical approach to training graduate social work students in tech-health equity, emphasizing technology access as a fundamental human right. A tech-health training taxonomy was developed for a new social work course, aiming to equip students with macro-level skills to support equitable client access to telehealth. The training program was designed to illuminate and cultivate digital citizenship, an essential competency for advancing health equity and inclusivity among disadvantaged populations. To achieve this, the authors outline four pedagogical strategies to enhance students' understanding and application of digital citizenship, digital self-efficacy, and the empowerment of underserved communities in navigating telehealth. Additionally, the article proposes a research framework to assess the effectiveness of these strategies in supporting students' mastery of digital citizenship competencies and self-efficacy, including both reactive self-efficacy and generative self-efficacy. This novel approach seeks to prepare future social workers to address the digital divide in healthcare services and promote inclusivity.