Social work as a new component in the health care system (literature review)

Social work as a new profession and a new specialty was established in our country in 1991. Over the past 30 years, the practice of social work in various spheres of life has been developed, research directions have been formed, social education as a new field of personnel training has developed. In this process, a special place is occupied by a specialized area of social work in the health care system including medical and social work. The review presents three components: the place and role of social workers in medical institutions; directions of scientific research on this issue; features of the training of professional social workers of medical and social profile. The analysis of regulatory documents of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation confirms the need for social workers for the activities of medical management of psychiatric, narcological, geriatric services, palliative care and medical rehabilitation institutions. At the same time, the need for interdepartmental interaction between medical and social service institutions is emphasized. The analysis of reports concerning results of scientific research on the problems of medical and social work was performed for the entire period of the formation and development of this type of activity in the Russian Federation (1991–2022). When searching for literature, the databases of the RSCI, CyberLeninka, Google Scholar were used. Scientific research on the problems of medical and social work is shown to be conducted both on private and systemic issues within the framework of medical, social and pedagogical sciences. The content of educational training programs for social workers of the medical and social profile reflects the features that allow students forming professional competencies, the implementing willingness of students to participate in the complex solution of problems of physical, mental health and social ill-being. The materials presented in the review are of scientific and practical importance. They show that a new component is formed in the modern system of health care of the Russian Federation — professional social work as a type of activity, the carriers of which participate in the provision of medical and social assistance and the mode of social and medical services to citizens.