The rôle of the medical social worker in the management and control of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease

Dr. Taran: The rôle of the social worker in the management and control of rheumatic fever was discussed. It was pointed out that in order to attain the best results, the social worker must play a specific rôle in the general management of the patient suffering from rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Since the disease is often protracted and frequently leads to severe crippling cardiac disability, careful study and follow-up of the patient and his environment are necessary if the course of the disease is to be influenced favorably. The social worker does not invade the territory of the physician, the nurse or the psychiatrist, but rather deals with those elements in the management of the case which are sociological in nature. The personality of the patient plays an important rôle in the progress of his disease. The relationship of this personality to social environment must be guided by the social worker in such a manner as to create a sensible and practicable adaptation of the patient to his disease, and of his environment to the patient. It was pointed out that the line of demarcation in the work of the social worker is clear. Trespassing into fields not definitely within the domain of the social worker occurs partly because there is, as yet, little appreciation of the rôle of the social worker in the management of this or other diseases. In most instances, dislocation of the function of the social worker is due to an inadequacy in clinic personnel rather than to confusion as to the field in which the social worker is to operate.