title: Hospital social workers in Saudi Arabia: characteristics and functions.
abstract: Social work practitioners are important members of the health care team and the hospital sector has been a traditional employer of social workers. Social work practitioners have become increasingly involved in hospital work as a result of the growing recognition of the important link between the biophysical aspects of health and the surrounding psychosocial circumstances, which require multidisciplinary interventions and demand the involvement of specialized social work personnel to deal with such issues. The article has been carried out in order to contribute to the literature by exploring to see if the characteristics and functions of contemporary professional social workers (who practice in the health sector in western Saudi Arabia) are achieving best practice.
authors: a Department of Social Studies , King Saud University , Riyadh , Saudi Arabia.
authors: Abdulaziz
authors: A
authors: Albrithen
authors: Nadir
authors: N
authors: Yalli
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007587:Job Description; D024382:Professional Role; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012948:Social Work Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D000068217:Social Workers
keywords: Saudi Arabia; hospital social workers; personal characteristics; professional functions; social work