Hälso- och sjukvårdskuratorn och arbetet med det psykosociala perspektivet : Berättelser om utmaningar och möjligheter

The aim of the study was to examine how social workers from different sectors of the healthcare system reason regarding their possibilities to use their discretion to care for the psychosocial perspective. To achieve this, we performed eight qualitative, semi-structured interviews with health care social workers from the different sectors; psychiatry, somatics, primary care and habilitation. To analyze our results, we applied theories of professionalism and discretion. We found that the psychosocial perspective consists of a range of tasks, a holistic approach to the patients’ situation and a need for collaboration with both authorities and other professions within the organization. Using discretion to care for this perspective presents difficulties consisting of economic factors, reduced status for the profession and a lack of clear guidelines. Furthermore, we examined the impact of the healthcare social workers’ licensing. The healthcare social workers believed that the licensure will bring higher accountability and patient safety, but expressed disappointment in the organization’s lackluster reception of the licensure. In conclusion, extensive discretion poses both challenges and opportunities for the healthcare social worker, highlighting the complexity that is being a social worker in the healthcare environment