YourHealthcareTeam:SocialWorkerHello, I’m Dave. And welcome to the video.This is where I explain something important to you, by just using toys. They’re cheaper than actors.Let’s pretend this is you. You may not know it but you probably have a healthcare team.Can someone bring out the healthcare team?Oh, here it comes.This is your healthcare team. It’s more than just your primary doctor. It's a group of medical professionals whowork to help you navigate the hard things about managing your treatment.Today, I’m going to tell you about the Social Worker.What does a Social Worker do?They’re like a best friend who happens to know a lot about how the medical system works.So if you’re dealing with a chronic condition, managing that condition can be overwhelming.Let’s consider your house. Now if you need special equipment for living with and managing your condition, theycan help with that.If you need to arrange transportation to and from appointments they can help.Or if you just need someone to provide emotional support, they can help with that too.Their job is to know you… and to know the healthcare system.Managing your health is hard enough, you don’t have to do it alone. You’re a member of the best team around.(Not bad)
Patients are often presented with a variety of treatments, medications and procedures that can be complicated and sometimes difficult to understand, both in terms of the expected result, but also in terms of possible side effects. One of the best ways to overcome this challenge is for patients to ask a lot of questions of their healthcare providers, so they can make the most-informed decisions for their own care. Patients can also play an important role in preventing infections while they are in the hospital.
