Looking Through the Eyes of General Practitioners: The Role of Social Work in Primary Health Care

This study delves into the perspectives of primary healthcare physicians regarding the role of social workers. Overall, our findings show that physicians have limited experience and understanding about the role of social work. Whilst they acknowledge the value that social workers (could) bring at individual patient level, they often overlook the broader contribution that social workers may be able to provide. Additionally, we discuss facilitators and barriers to collaboration between physicians and social workers, including education, financing and communication structures. In conclusion, we discuss the implications of these findings for the social work profession and future collaborative efforts. In Flanders, Belgium, a primary healthcare reform is ongoing to strengthen the health system and work towards improving integrated care. At the core of this transformation stands a person-centred perspective that considers social factors, which increases the tendency for collaboration between health and welfare systems. Primary care physicians and social workers are urged to collaborate; however, the way general practitioners (GPs) define and utilise the role of social work remains unclear. This study explores the perceptions of GPs regarding the role of social work. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-three GPs, working under both fee-for-service and capitation financing systems, with varying years of experience and in different geographical areas. The findings reveal that physicians recognise the influence of social factors on their patients care needs, yet, struggle with addressing them. Due to limited experience and understanding of the role of social work, GPs primarily focus on its value in individual cases, whilst having less awareness of their role and potential at the neighbourhood, organisational or population level. This study identified different factors that either facilitate or hinder collaboration with social work. The implications for the social work profession and future joint efforts are discussed.