A Mixed-Method Study on the Palliative Care Capacity of Social Workers in Flanders (Belgium): A Call to Expand Their Role
Table 2
Survey respondents’ (N = 352) performance of palliative care tasks.
Palliative care tasks
Frequency score
Attitude score
Competency score
1-2
3
4-5
1-2
3
4-5
1-2
3
4-5
Work package 1: talking with clients and their relatives about living with a serious illness
(1) Practical consequences (clients)
19.9%
21.5%
58.6%
2.6%
7.1%
90.3%
8%
24.7%
67.3%
(2) Practical consequences (relatives)
23.9%
18.8%
57.3%
2.3%
6%
91.7%
15.1%
21.7%
63.2%
(3) Financial consequences (clients)
23.9%
42.7%
33.4%
6.5%
9.9%
83.6%
15.1%
36.9%
48%
(4) Financial consequences (relatives)
15.1%
20.2%
64.7%
6%
11.9%
82.1%
7.1%
23.3%
69.6%
(5) Social consequences (clients)
11.7%
24%
64.3%
2.8%
9.7%
87.5%
8.2%
24.4%
67.4%
(6) Social consequences (relatives)
11.7%
24%
64.3%
2.8%
10.8%
86.4%
7.4%
20.2%
72.4%
(7) Psychological consequences (clients)
18.2%
31.8%
50%
6%
12.2%
81.8%
15.1%
36.1%
48.8%
(8) Psychological consequences (relatives)
18.9%
31.7%
49.4%
6.8%
13.9%
79.3%
10.8%
33.3%
55.9%
(9) Religion/spirituality (clients)
65.6%
24.1%
10.3%
29.5%
32.1%
38.4%
52.8%
31%
16.2%
(10) Religion/spirituality (relatives)
63.9%
26.9%
9.2%
40%
28.3%
31.7%
54.2%
29.8%
16%
Work package 2: assessing clients’ and their relatives’ needs and organising appropriate support and guidance
(11) Assessing clients’ needs
6.6%
11.8%
81.6%
0.9%
2.6%
96.5%
4%
11.2%
84.8%
(12) Assessing clients’ needs by using instruments
38.7%
30.1%
31.2%
17%
34%
49%
31.8%
35.2%
33%
(13) Assessing the needs of clients from a different cultural background
43.7%
26%
30.3%
10%
15.1%
74.9%
37%
38.7%
24.3%
(14) Assessing whether financial reimbursements are applicable to the situation of clients
10.3%
15.8%
73.9%
2%
8.5%
89.5%
10.8%
14%
75.2%
(15) Assessing relatives’ needs
16.5%
22.2%
61.3%
4.8%
11.9%
83.3%
6.3%
22.2%
71.5%
(16) Assessing the needs of relatives from a different cultural background
44.6%
29%
26.4%
13.1%
23.4%
63.5%
32.4%
42.3%
25.3%
(17) Assessing whether financial reimbursements are applicable to the situation of relatives
25.3%
21%
53.7%
11.1%
15.1%
73.8%
17.7%
22.8%
59.5%
(18) Guiding clients to professional forms of support
11.1%
10%
78.9%
3.1%
4.6%
92.3%
5.4%
11.7%
82.9%
(19) Guiding clients to nonprofessional forms of support
15.2%
17.5%
67.3%
4.6%
8.3%
87.1%
10.3%
18%
71.7%
(20) Supporting relatives after the death of a client
31.6%
28.8%
39.6%
8.5%
16.8%
74.7%
16.8%
31.8%
51.4%
Work package 3: contributing to clients’ care planning
(21) Talking with clients about advance care planning
28%
33.4%
38.6%
4.6%
12.9%
82.5%
14.8%
33.9%
51.3%
(22) Mediating conflicts between clients and their relatives
40.9%
32.7%
26.4%
9.1%
19%
71.9%
24.5%
37.3%
38.2%
(23) Checking whether clients and relatives understand the situation
18.8%
23.9%
57.9%
4.5%
11.6%
83.9%
11.9%
25.9%
62.2%
(24) Checking whether clients are able to make decisions themselves
21.7%
25.1%
53.2%
4.5%
12.2%
83.3%
17%
28.4%
54.6%
(25) Involving a legal or nonlegal representative when clients are unable to decide themselves
25.6%
23%
51.4%
3.4%
11.4%
85.2%
13.9%
25.9%
60.2%
Work package 4: advocating for clients’ and their relatives’ needs
(26) Advocating for clients’ needs
13.7%
19.4%
66.9%
2.6%
5.1%
92.3%
5.4%
17.6%
77%
(27) Advocating for relatives’ needs
19%
26.4%
54.6%
5.7%
9.9%
84.4%
8.5%
23.9%
67.6%
(28) Advocating for relatives’ needs after the death of a client
41.5%
28.4%
30.1%
10.8%
18.8%
70.4%
23.6%
32.2%
44.2%
Work package 5: sharing information on the care trajectory with clients and their relatives
(29) Starting a conversation about the end-of-life with clients
30.6%
31.4%
38%
14.5%
27.9%
57.6%
27.1%
38%
34.9%
(30) Answering clients’ questions on the end-of-life
39.3%
31.2%
29.5%
9.4%
18.9%
71.7%
28.4%
35.8%
35.8%
(31) Starting a conversation about the end-of-life with clients from a different cultural background
66.5%
23.8%
9.8%
19.9%
23.9%
56.2%
57.8%
30.8%
11.4%
(32) Starting a conversation about the end-of-life with clients’ relatives
41.5%
29.8%
28.7%
15.1%
23%
61.9%
24.1%
35.8%
40.1%
(33) Answering relatives’ questions on the end-of-life
36.8%
29.1%
34.1%
10.8%
17.9%
71.3%
22.9%
39.3%
37.8%
(34) Starting a conversation about the end-of-life with clients’ relatives from a different cultural background
65.3%
23.9%
10.8%
21.9%
23.3%
54.8%
54.3%
33.8%
11.9%
Work package 6: evaluating the care planning
(35) Adjusting clients’ care plans
37%
27.9%
35.1%
12.5%
17%
70.5%
23.6%
29.1%
47.3%
(36) Recognising gaps in clients’ care plans
36.9%
27%
36.9%
12.3%
14.2%
73.5%
25.9%
29.9%
44.2%
(37) Reporting gaps in clients’ care plans
39.3%
28.8%
31.9%
13.7%
15.7%
70.6%
27.9%
28.5%
43.6%
Work package 7: cooperating with other care professionals
(38) Cooperating with other care professionals to guide and support clients
8.3%
15.7%
76%
0.9%
4%
95.1%
3.7%
14.9%
81.4%
(39) Referring clients to other care professionals
6.6%
15.1%
78.3%
0.9%
2.3%
96.8%
4%
13.2%
82.8%
(40) Referring clients to specialised palliative care
23.4%
18.6%
58%
4.9%
7.7%
87.4%
10%
26.4%
63.6%
(41) Defending the social work perspective in discussions with other care professionals
27.7%
29.1%
43.2%
4.9%
17.7%
77.4%
14.6%
30.6%
54.8%
Work package 8: sharing knowledge and skills with other care professionals
(42) Clarifying the importance of addressing the practical consequences of a serious illness
34.1%
27.2%
38.7%
7.8%
17.5%
74.7%
14.5%
29.5%
56%
(43) Clarifying the importance of addressing the financial consequences of a serious illness
28.9%
30.9%
40.2%
7.5%
16.4%
76.1%
10.9%
28.7%
60.4%
(44) Clarifying the importance of addressing the social consequences of a serious illness
30.4%
31.2%
38.4%
6.9%
16.6%
76.5%
11.5%
31%
57.5%
(45) Clarifying the importance of addressing the psychological consequences of a serious illness
32.8%
31.9%
35.2%
8.9%
20.1%
71%
17.2%
35.2%
47.5%
Work package 9: reflecting on own social work practices
(46) Thinking about own limits in guiding and supporting clients
17%
32.2%
50.8%
2%
8.9%
89.1%
8.9%
37.4%
53.7%
(47) Finding balance between letting a case go and sticking to it
11.8%
31.3%
56.9%
1.4%
8%
90.6%
8.6%
38.4%
53%
Work package 10: politicising social work
(48) Recognising structural problems in the guidance and support of clients
40.4%
36.4%
23.2%
7.7%
19.2%
73.1%
24.7%
40.8%
34.5%
(49) Addressing structural problems in the guidance and support of clients
45%
33.7%
21.3%
8.9%
19.8%
71.3%
29.2%
41.5%
29.3%
Frequency scores-how frequently do you perform this task?: 1-2 (infrequent)/3 (not infrequent, not frequent)/4-5 (frequent). Attitude scores-how important do you consider this task for your social work practices?: 1-2 (unimportant)/3 (not unimportant, not important)/4-5 (important). Competency scores-how competent are you to perform this task?: 1-2 (not competent/3 (not competent, not incompetent)/4-5 (competent).
