Highlighting Patient Voices and Clinical Social Workers’ Contributions: Using an Assessment Template

Abstract

In this article, authors report on an audit into the utilisation of a social work psychosocial assessment template across a statewide health service. Factors investigated include the impacts of template utilisation on critical analysis, appropriateness of interventions, and reflection of patients’ perspectives. A total of 1,036 chart entries were audited, and frequency data were calculated. Pearson’s chi-squared tests analysed the statistical independence between variables. Numerous statistically significant associations were demonstrated, including those underpinning the following results. Critical information was rarely missing from full-template entries, whereas it was missing from almost half of nontemplate entries (χ2 (4, N = 449) = 45.1, p < 0.0001). The intervention/plan appeared appropriate more often when the template was used (χ2 (4, N = 449) = 15.6, p < 0.005). Patients’ perspectives were reflected in most full-template entries, but in fewer than half of nontemplate entries (χ2 (4, N = 449) = 22.4, p < 0.0005). The majority of template entries, including professional analysis, reflected patients’ perspectives (χ2 (4, N = 449) = 23.1, p < 0.0005), and documented appropriate interventions/plans (χ2 (4, N = 449) = 27.0, p < 0.0005). Such results demonstrated positive impacts of template utilisation. Template use helped to highlight social workers’ unique contributions to person-centred healthcare.IMPLICATIONS Utilisation of a psychosocial assessment template had positive impacts on clinical social work documentation and practice.Such impacts included increased degrees of person-centred care, appropriate social work interventions and plans, and more comprehensive chart entries.Template use highlighted the unique contributions that social workers bring to multidisciplinary clinical teams and healthcare.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Australian Social Work, 2026 · DOI ↗