- Collection:
- Atlanta University and Clark Atlanta University Theses and Dissertations
- Title:
- An Exploratory Study of Barriers Hospital Social Workers Experience Accessing Treatment for Substance Use Disorder Patients Since the Covid-19 Pandemic
- Creator:
- Ransom, Sparkles, Clark Atlanta University
- Date of Original:
- 2023-05
- Subject:
- Degrees, Academic
Dissertations, Academic - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, 33.749, -84.38798
- Medium:
- born digital
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- The purpose of this study was to explore the barriers hospital social workers experience when accessing treatment for patients with substance use disorders (SUDs) since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 90 hospital social workers participated in the study. The participants were recruited from three healthcare systems in the metropolitan Atlanta area: one public hospital and two private hospitals. An exploratory mixed research design was employed, and a survey designed specifically for the study was used to gather the data. The survey measured barriers participants experienced when accessing treatment for SUD patients. Descriptive statistics analysis was used to describe hospital social workers' perceived barriers of availability of services, referral wait time, and patients' ability to pay. In addition, cross-tabulation was conducted to examine the relationships between barriers to treatment, demographics, and social work experience. Last, content analysis was used to analyze the open-ended questions related to participants' experiences. Hospital social workers experienced moderate barriers related to availability of services and referral wait times when accessing treatment for SUD patients. However, they experienced extreme barriers related to patients' ability to pay. Although the conclusions from this study are preliminary, the study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the barriers hospital social workers experienced when attempting to provide services to SUD patients. Further research is needed on social workers' ability to access treatment for SUD patients post-COVID-19.
- External Identifiers:
- Metadata URL:
- http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12322/cau.td:2023_ransom_sparkles
- Rights Holder:
- Clark Atlanta University
- Original Collection:
- Atlanta University and Clark Atlanta University Theses and Dissertations
- Holding Institution:
- Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library
- Rights:
-
