Cancer Care as a Case Study for Social Justice
Social work is one profession that has the educational training to use different methodological approaches to improve the care of cancer patients and to build the capacity of individuals, families, groups and communities. This paper discusses changes to cancer care, research into care and provides a case study to show how social work as a profession can contribute to a capacity building practice model that integrates holistic care within changing health care practice.
Recent WHO figures predict cancer deaths world-wide will double in the next decade. Within the health system, patients with advanced cancer are generally treated in the ambulatory - care setting. With the assistance of sophisticated technologies, many people maintain good quality of life up to and throughout the final weeks of life. Family caregiver support is integral to this accomplishment. Health systems however show marked differences in their equity and access policies.
Australian research of patients and their family caregivers with advanced cancer has shed light on the role of social support. Emotional support was confirmed as an independent predictor of survival. While 90% of patients and caregivers indicated they could share their feelings with someone, social workers were a significant source of emotional support for some woman patients. Exploration of knowledge of treatment intent confirmed less than half of patients and their caregivers knew their treatment was non-curative. Marital status and living in a metropolitan area were associated with correct patient knowledge, while the clinical status of the patient was an important factor for caregivers. Gender was an important differentiation amongst caregivers with females much less likely to believe treatment was curative. Most patients identified their home care support needs were met.
Progressive social work practice can contribute to the autonomy of individual patients, empower families to provide supportive cancer care and through community development mobilise communities. Such an approach thereby acknowledges social work’s core professional value of social justice within the multidisciplinary cancer care team.