Progress of Medical Social Work Practice in the Republic of China (1912-1949) and Its Contemporary Significance

Background:

Medical social work played an important role in promoting social stability in the Republic of China (a period in Chinese history from 1912-1949). For example, the social service department in Peking Union Medical Hospital provided a series of services such as financial support and resource integration which alleviated social contradictions at that time and further stabilized social order. Recently, more and more people have gradually realized the importance of psychological health. Together with the increasing tensions in the doctor-patient relationship, the construction of professional medical social work force has become extremely urgent. Therefore, the practice and experience of the medical social work in the Republic of China may be conductive to the construction of the contemporary team.

Purpose:

This study aims to describe how medical social work came into being and formed a professional system in the Republic of China by analyzing its practice in that period. By comparing the practice with current situation, we intend to find the problems in the current medical social work system and try to search for their causes, and then make our suggestions to improve contemporary medical social work in China.

Methods:

Review relevant historical literature about medical social work, especially the study of medical social work in the Republic of China. Explore and learn from the historical practice and experience of medical social work in the Republic of China on the basis of comparative study.

Results:

In the Republic of China, medical social work was mainly based on case work and supplemented by group work, and its pattern usually divided into three parts: preparatory work (outpatient service), later-stage work (inpatient service and post-discharge service) and research work.

Preparatory work included explaining the disease, assisting in administrative affairs (such as registration procedures), introducing patients to other hospitals or social service organizations and assisting in hospitalization.

Later-stage work involved recording patients’ daily mood, integrating funds for patients in poor financial situation, providing vocational training, assisting in discharge procedure (such as contacting nursing homes for homeless patients) and providing follow-up care (visit patients at home or mail follow-up questionnaires to distant patients).

Research work referred to offering practice opportunities for social worker interns, organizing health lectures (such as spreading knowledge about disease), popularizing medical social work and doing research work in relative areas.

Conclusions and Implications:

The medical social work practice in the Republic of China may has the following implications:

Firstly, we need to match the content of medical social work service with the development of the times. Secondly, the service methods of medical social work should be highly efficient and targeted. Thirdly, the pattern of medical social work should be specialized and non-administrative. Finally, all social workers should pay attention to the popularization of their occupation and the construction of talent teams in this area.