School of Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Inova Life with Cancer, Fairfax, Virginia, USA.
J Soc Work End Life Palliat Care. 2023 Apr-Jun;19(2):118-132. doi: 10.1080/15524256.2023.2219408. Epub 2023 Jun 8.
Hospice and palliative care are burgeoning fields of social work practice. Within the social work profession, the pursuit of social justice is a defining ethical value. While some research exists on social justice within palliative and hospice care, no studies have examined its meaning within the context of this highly specialized field. To date, there is an absence of empirical research examining the meaning of social justice within a sample of hospice and palliative social workers. This study attempts to fill this gap. We used qualitative and quantitative survey items to ask hospice and palliative care social workers about the meaning of social justice within their unique practice setting, as well as to identify prominent social injustices and opportunities for action. Using responses from 51 seasoned practitioners, we found that social workers generally defined social justice as equitable access to three core areas-basic needs, high quality care, and education (for both patients, families, and providers)-regardless of a person's group membership (e.g., race, class, sexual orientation). Participants also made recommendations for improving social justice in clinical practice through advocacy and other initiatives.
临终关怀和姑息治疗是社会工作实践中新兴的领域。在社会工作专业中，追求社会正义是一个决定性的伦理价值观。虽然姑息治疗和临终关怀领域已经有一些关于社会正义的研究，但没有研究在这个高度专业化的领域内探讨其意义。迄今为止，还没有实证研究在临终关怀和姑息治疗社会工作者的样本中考察社会正义的意义。本研究试图填补这一空白。我们使用定性和定量的调查项目，询问临终关怀和姑息治疗社会工作者在其独特的实践环境中社会正义的含义，以及确定突出的社会不公正现象和采取行动的机会。通过对 51 名经验丰富的从业者的回应，我们发现社会工作者通常将社会正义定义为公平获得三个核心领域的机会——基本需求、高质量的护理和教育（针对患者、家庭和提供者）——而不论一个人的群体成员身份（例如，种族、阶级、性取向）如何。参与者还通过倡导和其他举措为改善临床实践中的社会正义提出了建议。
