QUALITY ASSURANCE IN CLINICAL SOCIAL-WORK - PROBLEMS, INTERVENTIONS, AND OUTCOME WITH PSYCHIATRIC-INPATIENTS

Based on the standardized data of 2643 treatment episodes documented o ver 11 years in a psychiatric hospital, this study investigates the is sues, activities, and outcome of social work with 2038 psychiatric inp atients from the perspective of quality assurance. A primary objective was to study how the social workers' interventions relate to the pati ents' problems also with regard to sociodemographic characteristics an d type of disorder of the patient. The social workers' estimation of t he outcome was also studied in relation to these variables. Interventi ons were found to correspond significantly with problems, and were mos tly depending on age, sex, and diagnosis. Impaired social functioning, predominantly present in chronic disorders, was the major concern of social work interventions.