Addressing the Challenges of Medical Social Workers in Nigeria: A Study of Hospital-based Care Dynamics

Aims: Many social workers in Nigeria found it difficult to handle work-related stress, which resulted in frustration and reduced efficiency, a situation which undermined the relevance of the profession in the management of healthcare in Nigeria. This study therefore assessed the challenges medical social workers faced in hospital-based healthcare, using University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Faith Mediplex Hospital, and Uselu Psychiatric Hospital, all in Benin City.

Study design: Survey design was adopted for this study.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted using University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Faith Mediplex Hospital, and Uselu Psychiatric Hospital as case studies. The study was conducted between March 2022 to March 2023.

Methodology: Using simple random technique, 108 respondents who were staff of the hospitals under study were selected for the study. Data were collected through the administration of questionnaire to the selected respondents.

Results: The study found that medical social workers were poorly recognized in the hospitals and they were assigned non-social work tasks. The study also found that they work in very poor conditions, were poorly remunerated and their programmes in hospitals do not attract government funding. Above all, the study revealed that medical social workers go through series of discrimination from other medical professionals in the course of carrying out their duties.

Conclusion: Policy makers in the health sector must ensure that health care reform legislation includes social workers among the professionals eligible to provide care coordination. Also, medical doctors and other medical professionals should see medical social workers as team players working towards the same goal; patient’s safety. Medical doctors should in most cases consider recommendations from medical social workers.