The demographics of the United States haemophilia treatment centre social workers: the results of a national survey.
Social Workers (SWs) are vital members of the multidisciplinary health care teams at Hemophilia Treatment Centers (HTCs) across the US. However, little research has been done to identify the demographics and qualifications of HTC SWs. In response to this lack of data, a subcommittee from the Social Work Working Group sponsored by the National Hemophilia Foundation conducted a national online survey in 2010. The authors attempted to ascertain the demographics and characteristics of SWs who work at HTCs across the country. The purpose of this article is to report the results of this online survey and evaluate the parameters of SW demographics in HTCs. Electronic surveys were sent to 143 HTC SWs. Ten were excluded and 100 were completed and returned, yielding a 75% response rate. The great majority of HTC SWs are women and almost half are middle-aged (aged 40-59). They represent a highly educated, very experienced group of professionals. When asked why respondents stayed in their positions at the HTCs, answers appeared to highly correlate to factors related to the HTC multidisciplinary team model. The high survey response rate of 75% reflects the interest of HTC SWs in obtaining data that describe and quantify their qualifications. This information may serve as validation of the haemophilia SW role in times of funding cuts. It may also give a basis for the recruitment and retention of SWs in the haemophilia field.
New England Hemophilia Center, UMassMemorial Hospital, Worcester, MA, USA.
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Geary
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McGeady
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Dunn
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Pennick
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Johnson
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Stolfi
D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D012947:Social Work / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States
HTC social worker retention; HTC social worker salaries; haemophilia social worker; social worker demographics