Social Worker Perceptions and Observations Regarding Men's Management of Hemophilia and Use of Community-Based Support

The current practice of social work in pain management: a scoping review on chronic disease

While social workers have the capacity and scope of practice to make a significant contribution to pain management, little is understood about how they enact these roles. The initial goal of this scoping review was to examine the role of social work in pain management specifically in bleeding disorder care. Due to lack of published data on this topic, the review goal was broadened to chronic disease. Two electronic databases were searched providing a total of 13 published articles meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Instrumental services, clinical services, and assessments were identified as primary roles of social workers, while advocacy, policy development, education, and skill development require further exploration in the literature.

Masculinity Challenges for Men With Severe Hemophilia

Hemophilia is a congenital bleeding disorder that mainly affects men. Men with severe hemophilia experience stigma because they are unable to live up to various ideals of masculinity. This study involves a qualitative analysis of how nine Danish men aged 40-54 years with severe hemophilia manage life as functionally impaired relative to their masculine identity. The analytical focus is on how the men manage on a daily basis, how they construct their identity as a result of the disorder, and the body's importance in these identity negotiations. The source of their biggest defeat is that the disorder often prevents them from living up to social expectations about men as fathers. This results in a variety of management strategies that they apply to neutralize the stigma, allowing them to (a) distance themselves from the disorder in various practical and verbal ways and to (b) assume primary responsibility for managing the disorder, including internalizing being experts on the disorder. The results identify that men with severe hemophilia are frustrated by the lack of advice provided by the health sector. The article proposes initiatives that can be taken to address the lack of knowledge and to create a broader network of peers for men with hemophilia across varying age groups.

Health care professionals dealing with hemophilia: insights from the international qualitative study of the HERO initiative

Background: Assessing the viewpoints of health care professionals concerning their work with chronic patients is a relatively new research topic, widely overlooked in the literature. However, understanding their subjective work experience is highly relevant for identifying problems and perceived resources, enhancing health service organisation, improving relationships or communication with patients, and maintaining well-being. Purpose and method: Qualitative data from the "Haemophilia Experience, Results and Opportunities" Initiative - a research program aimed at investigating the psychosocial aspects of hemophilia - were used to evaluate the experiences of 62 professionals from seven countries around the world. Semi-structured interviews were submitted to thematic analysis of elementary contexts with the aid of T-Lab software. Results: Five dominant themes emerged, identifying the main challenges that professionals have to deal with in their everyday work practice: caring for impaired adult patients; handling policies and stakeholders; providing counselling on diagnosis and reproductive choices; considering the role of family dynamics; coping with adolescent patients. Conclusion: The outcomes of the study provide an opportunity to develop the area of the non-technical skills in the core curriculum of those who work with chronic illnesses by focusing on cross-professional competences and by improving a comprehensive care model for hemophilia patients.