ABSTRACT

There is increasing recognition of the salience of eHealth technologies in enhancing health service capacity. Yet social work remains “behind the curve” in progressing digital practices. As the demand for digital health care increases, particularly following COVID-19, it is becoming increasingly urgent to understand how social workers engage with eHealth technologies, and how technological engagement impacts on social work practice. In this scoping review, we sought to examine eHealth use in health social work practice. Our findings suggest that, while social workers recognize the strengths and opportunities to broaden the scope of their practice, they remain concerned that eHealth may not be congruent with the values and approaches of the profession. This review provides a broad overview of health social workers’ engagement with eHealth technologies and considers implications for future research that examines the nuanced and complex nature of professional values, risk, and assessment in the digital space.

摘要

人们越来越认识到电子卫生技术在提高卫生服务能力方面的重要性。然而，社会工作在推进数字实践方面仍然“落后于潮流”。随着对数字医疗保健需求的增加，尤其是在 COVID-19 之后，了解社会工作者如何使用电子健康技术以及技术参与如何影响社会工作实践变得越来越紧迫。在此范围界定审查中，我们试图检查电子卫生在健康社会工作实践中的使用。我们的研究结果表明，虽然社会工作者认识到扩大其实践范围的优势和机会，但他们仍然担心电子健康可能与该专业的价值观和方法不一致。