For over 100 years social work had played an important role in health care. In a rapidly evolving and uncertain health care industry, social work role is anticipated to be large. It is recognized by health care providers and policymakers that social well-being is critical to physical well-being; as such, social workers have new and challenging opportunities to improve the health of individuals, families and communities. Ms. Cannon and Dr.
Cabot of Massachusetts pioneered implementation of systems to measure social work interventions, to document the interventions in medical charts to collaborate with medical professionals, laying the foundation for medical social work. Their work advanced the social work in the hospital and incorporated social perspective as a regular part of the medical treatment plan. The concept ‘rounds’ we know today was introduced by them. In 1930 Ms.
Cannon felt that the medical social service movement within a hospital there should be someone who should represent a patient’s point of view, and work with the doctors in light of a patient’s social condition. To meet this goal, the interdisciplinary rounds with social workers started, and are continued till today. In 1918, Ms. Cannon created the American Association of Hospital Social Workers and received the Massachusetts Public Health Association’s Award for Distinguished Service.
With the advent of managed care, social work in the health fields had undergone considerable change. There is a paradigm shift from emphasis on institution to community and from curative to prevention. Very few hospitals have social work departments, resulting in many new and challenging social work career opportunities outside of hospitals – in geriatric services, HMOs, community mental health centers, home care and physician’s practices.