The Significance of Flexibility and Symptom Control as Elements of a Health Care Model in Working with the Terminally Ill

Abstract

This quantitative descriptive study examines social workers’ perceptions of two elements of an ideal model of care: flexibility and symptom control. Workers in three institutional settings – hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and hospices – are compared. The sample included 100 social workers employed in the three settings. The study found that social workers in hospices perceive a significantly greater degree of flexibility and symptom control for their terminally ill patients than do social workers in the two other settings. The results imply that social workers will be better able to provide assistance to these patients and their families in a less bureaucratic and a more humanized environment. Further studies would help to determine if these two elements can be utilized by all health care staff in nursing homes and medical settings.