Developing and sustaining a practice-based research infrastructure in a hospital social work department: Why is it important?
The future of hospital social work departments depends on their ability to demonstrate their effectiveness, efficiency, and consequently, their value to their host organizations. In order to demonstrate and enhance social work's contribution, research activities of various kinds must be encouraged. These include research consumption as well as production and utilization by clinicians, supervisors, managers, and administrators. The authors sought to develop a sustainable research environment in a large social work department of an academic health system. Continued work is needed to understand practice-research "best practices" within hospitals and how to ensure their sustainability within an ever changing health care environment.
a Department of Social Work/Psychiatry , University of Michigan Health System , Ann Arbor , Michigan , USA.
Sara
S
Tischler
a Department of Social Work/Psychiatry , University of Michigan Health System , Ann Arbor , Michigan , USA.
Melissa
M
Webster
b Department of Social Work/Urology , University of Michigan Health System , Ann Arbor , Michigan , USA.
Daniela
D
Wittmann
c Patient and Family Center , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan , USA.
Kathleen
K
Wade
D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012947:Social Work / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012948:Social Work Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*
Health system; hospital; practice-research; social work