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Medical social service professionals help individuals,
couples, and families cope with the social, psychological,
cultural, and medical issues resulting from an illness.
Professionals in medical social services also help patients
fully utilize medical care and services by:
- Explaining health-care resources and policies to
patients, family, and professional staff.
- Helping plan for posthospital patient needs by arranging
for services at another facility or in the home.
- Explaining to patients the epidemiology of diseases,
including social environment risk factors.
- Helping patients and families receive needed follow-up
care by referral to health-care resources.
- Understanding the social, cultural, and religious
variables that contribute to patients' responses to illness
and their use of health-care resources.
- Providing advocacy through appropriate organizations.
Medical social workers may help patients with advance
directives and other long-term care issues. They assure that
patients’ medically related emotional and social needs are met
and maintained throughout their medical treatment.
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