Needs Assessment of Emergency Department Social Workers in Southwestern Minnesota in Relation to Emergency Department Expansion

Expansion of a hospital emergency department will affect the role of the emergency department social worker. This research project was conducted to assess the needs, concerns, and strengths of the social workers working in the emergency department of a regional medical center. The study included 13 participants who completed an on-line survey. Results showed that participants were concerned with the increase in patient volume as well as the possible increase in wait time for patients. Participants also expressed how concerns could be addressed. The most common solution was to track information about the cases, including wait times for patients, in which the emergency department social workers were involved or were not able to see. The participants offered many suggestions on how to improve their role as social workers in the emergency department in relation to the expansion of the emergency department