PREVALENCE AND ACCEPTABILITY OF DEDICATED SOCIAL WORK SUPPORT IN THE FRACTURE CLINIC: A SURVEY OF ORTHOPAEDIC TRAUMA SURGEONS

The primary objective of this survey was to determine the prevalence of dedicated social workers or health care professionals otherwise dedicated to the task of assisting patients with non-physical aspects of their recovery in outpatient fracture clinics. Secondary objectives included: determining what services social workers provide where present; understanding the perspectives of orthopaedic surgeons regarding the need for the addition of a social worker to the fracture clinic; determining the type of resources and services that orthopaedic surgeons believe social workers could provide and identifying surgeons’ perceived barriers and facilitators to this addition. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of orthopaedic trauma surgeons. The survey, a self-administered electronic questionnaire, consisted of a brief screening questionnaire followed by four main sections: Demographics and Practice Setting; Social Worker Support in Outpatient Fracture Clinic; Social Worker Assistance in Clinic; and Perceptions of Social Worker in Clinic. To ensure responses from surgeons knowledgeable about the needs of patients in the fracture clinic setting, we established the following eligibility criteria: 1) currently practicing orthopaedic surgeons, 2) treating patients with fractures as part of their practice, 3) able to complete the survey in English, and 4) willing to participate in the study by completing an electronic survey. This cross-sectional study surveyed 88 orthopaedic trauma surgeons on the potential benefits and barriers to integrating social work support into outpatient fracture clinics. While only 16% of respondents currently had dedicated social work services available at their clinic, respondents acknowledged the critical need for their services, particularly in addressing employment, psychological support, and housing crises. Surgeons expressed strong agreement that social workers could effectively address various patient needs, including assistance with intimate partner violence (88.6%), transportation (86.4%), home care (85.2%), and addictions support (81.8%). These findings underscore the potential for enhanced patient care through interdisciplinary collaboration and social work support in outpatient orthopaedic trauma settings.