THE AWARENESS OF MEDICAL SOCIAL WORKERS’ ROLES BEYOND ADVOCACY IN SELECTED HEALTHCARE INSTITUTIONS IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

Medical social workers are essential professionals in healthcare, who address psychosocial factors impacting health, yet are often underappreciated despite their fundamental role. They work with doctors and nurses to diagnose and treat patients, examining social conditions and environments. The study investigated the level of awareness of medical social workers’ roles beyond advocacy in some selected healthcare institutions in Lagos State, Nigeria. The research employed a descriptive, cross-sectional survey design targeting 205 participants, comprising patients and healthcare professionals in the selected healthcare institutions. A stratified sampling method was employed, while data were collected through a structured questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.816. Descriptive (Mean and standard deviation) and inferential (multiple regression analysis) statistical tools were used for data analysis. The findings of the study indicated that the degree of awareness of the roles of the medical social workers was high, while the degree of efficiency of medical social workers was moderate. The study concluded that while healthcare professionals understand the theoretical scope of social work, the actual efficiency of skill utilization, especially in emotional support and counselling, remains at a moderate level, and as practitioners progress through the Chronosystem of the healthcare environment, their understanding of the multifaceted nature of their profession matures. It is recommended that the healthcare administrators develop and implement a standardized job description for the social workers.