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The publication of social work research and scholarship is integral to generating and disseminating knowledge for the profession and the human services field. Previous research has found a large proportion of nonresearch articles in social work journals, but there has been little exploration of the nature of this scholarship. Using a scoping review method supplemented by analysis of national research assessment output data, this study examined the quantity, format, and characteristics of scholarly publications between 2010–2020 by Australian social workers. It found they produced proportionately more journal articles than other disciplines and relatively fewer books and book chapters. Of 1,389 Australian social work articles published in top-cited social work journals, 821 (59.1%) were research articles. Of the nonresearch articles, almost half provided an analysis of policy or practice without stating a method. Understanding the scope of social work research provides a foundation for reflection on the discipline's research endeavours. Information about the scope of social work research is useful for developing both individual and disciplinary research strategy. A clear statement of method that describes the processes used for observation and analysis would enhance the quality of nonresearch social work publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. The aim of the present study was to examine the health and well being of older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people, the health issues that concern them, the services they use and challenges accessing services. Methods. This study comprised a survey of the health and well being of 312 LGBTI people aged 50 years and over in New South Wales. The survey included the Short-Form 12 (SF-12) measure of health-related quality of life, the Kessler 10 (K10) measure of psychological distress, and the three-item Loneliness Scale. Results. Higher levels of psychological distress, lower mental health and greater loneliness were found among this sample than is typically found in the general population. Mental health was lower among carers and those not in a relationship, while psychological distress was greater among those living alone and those experiencing higher rates of loneliness. The most commonly accessed health service was a general practitioner (GP), with most respondents reporting that they were open about their sexuality to their GP and that they had a regular GP. Some reported difficulties accessing health services because of their gender or sexual diversity. Conclusions. Although many older LGBTI people are well, both physically and mentally, they do appear to face increased risk of certain health issues compared with the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Patients with terminal illnesses often require surrogate decision makers. Prior research has demonstrated high surrogate stress, and that despite standards promoting substituted judgment, most patients do not want their surrogates to make pure substituted judgments for them. It is not known how best to help loved ones fulfill the surrogate role.Objectives: To test the effectiveness of an intervention to help surrogate decision makers.Methods: One hundred sixty-six patients (41% with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and 59% with gastrointestinal cancers) and their surrogates at two university medical centers were randomized to an intensive nurse-directed discussion of the end-of-life decision control preferences of the patient (TAILORED) or a discussion of nutrition (CONTROL); 163 completed baseline interviews and underwent the intervention.Results: Twelve patients died during follow-up and 137 dyads completed the study. Post-intervention, using all available data, TAILORED patients and surrogates became more likely to endorse mutual surrogate decision making, that is, a balance of their own wishes and what the surrogate thinks best (adjusted odds compared with baseline for patients = 1.78, P = 0.04; adjusted odds for surrogates = 2.05, P = 0.03). CONTROL patients became 40% less likely to endorse mutual surrogate decision making (P = 0.08), and CONTROL surrogates did not change significantly from baseline (adjusted odds = 1.44, P = 0.28). Stress levels decreased for TAILORED surrogates (impact of events scale = 23.1 ± 14.6 baseline, 20.8 ± 15.3 f/u, P = 0.046), but not for CONTROL (P = 0.85), and post-intervention stress was lower for TAILORED than CONTROL (P = 0.04). Surrogates' confidence was uniformly high at baseline and did not change. Caregiver burden (Zarit) increased from 12.5 ± 6.5 to 14.7 ± 8.1 for TAILORED (P < 0.01), while not changing for CONTROL, yet satisfaction with involvement in decision making was higher at follow-up for TAILORED than for CONTROL (71% vs. 52%, P = 0.03).Conclusion: TAILORED patients and surrogates who completed the study adopted a more mutual decision-making style, balancing their own wishes with what the surrogate thinks would be best for them. Surrogates reported less stress and more satisfaction. Confidence was high at baseline and did not change. There was a modest increase in caregiver burden. These findings suggest that interventions like TAILORED might positively impact surrogate decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the devastating impact of HIV/AIDS, end-of-life care planning among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities is relatively under-researched, especially in Australia. This paper reports findings of a survey of 305 LGBT people living in New South Wales, which examined their knowledge of and attitudes towards end-of-life care. The focus of this paper is their preparedness to discuss with healthcare providers any end-of-life care plans. The results highlight that while the majority of respondents were aware of three of the four key end-of-life care planning options available in New South Wales -- enduring powers of attorney, enduring guardians and person responsible (only a minority had heard of advance healthcare directives) -- a much smaller number of people had actually taken up these options. Only a minority of respondents were able to identify correctly who had the legal right to make treatment decisions for a person who is unconscious following a car accident. A small proportion of people had discussed end-of-life care options with general practitioners or another main healthcare provider, and only in very few cases were these issues raised by the practitioners themselves. Those most likely to not feel comfortable discussing these issues with practitioners included younger people, those not fully open about their sexuality to family members, and transgender people and others who do not define their gender as male or female. The paper highlights the importance of education strategies to raise awareness of the end-of-life care planning options among LGBT people, as well as strategies for increasing health providers' preparedness to discuss these issues with LGBT patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the scholarly impact of social work research can inform strategies to strengthen the profession's research foundations. This study examined research productivity and academic impact using h-indexes for a sample of 112 Australian social work researchers according to the stage of their career. Annual research output was calculated using Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) data. The average h-index for all social work researchers in the sample was 6.39 (Scopus) and 12.5 (Google Scholar). Web of Science was not used due to the number of inaccurate researcher profiles. One hundred and thirty-nine publications received 100 or more citations, but there were many never-cited publications. A social work benchmark for the number of publications is around 1.4 publications per year, depending upon a person's stage of career and workload profile. Citation analysis can supplement peer review in evaluating research quality, but there are disciplinary differences in publication and citation practices, so it is useful to know where social work is positioned. IMPLICATIONS Citation analysis is used to assess research productivity and quality alongside qualitative assessment, such as peer review. It is imperative for researchers to check, correct, and claim Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science records, and to link these to their ORCID profile. A citation benchmark for social work would be in the range of h-index 3.2 for early-career researchers to 15.8 for research-focused positions (Scopus) or h-index 6.1–25.0 (Google Scholar). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quantity and quality of social work research is central to creating knowledge for the profession and maintaining social work's presence and status in universities. This study examines Australian Research Council grants awarded for social work projects for the 10-year period 2008–2107. It investigates the quantum of grants and the topics addressed, and compares social work to related social sciences. The field of social work was awarded 84 research grants over the 10-year period, a total of $23 million and an average of 8.4 grants per year. However, this did not match the grant successes of the two comparator fields of criminology and social policy and administration. Having a clear picture of research achievements, including grants, is necessary to enable the discipline to plot a strategic way forward, addressing gaps and deficits, and building on strengths. IMPLICATIONS Increasing research grant success is vital to the ongoing development of the social work knowledge base, and bolsters the standing of social work in universities. Maximising the use of social work Field of Research codes will increase the visibility of social work research, especially in multidisciplinary projects. Social work researchers should publicise competitive grant successes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older lesbian and gay people can face considerable marginalisation, which may affect their perceptions and experiences of accessing health and aged care services. To inform strategies promoting accessibility, this study aimed to investigate perceived barriers and facilitators to health and aged care service access among older lesbian and gay adults. A sample of 752 cisgender lesbian women and gay men aged 60 years and older living in Australia responded to questions on a broad range of potential barriers and facilitators to service access. Several barriers and facilitators were commonly reported, with some differences between the women and the men. LGBTI inclusiveness was among commonly reported concerns. A majority of participants reported a lack of LGBTI‐inclusive service providers and professionals as a barrier. A majority also reported a perceived lack of professionals adequately trained and competent to work with LGBTI individuals, with significantly more women than men indicating this as a barrier. Almost all participants indicated LGBTI‐inclusive mainstream services as a facilitator for access. In all, inclusiveness appears to be a key issue for service access among older lesbian and gay people, which may need to be further addressed by service providers and policy makers for improving service accessibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The needs of older lesbian and gay people regarding access and use of aged‐care services remain underresearched. This paper reports the findings of 33 qualitative interviews with older lesbian women and gay men about their perceptions and experiences of residential aged‐care and home‐based aged‐care services in Australia. The focus of this paper is their preparedness for using aged‐care services. The results highlight that participants had a number of concerns related to accessing residential‐care services in particular, including perceptions of a lack of inclusivity and concerns of potential for discrimination and hostility, loss of access to community and partners, decreased autonomy and concerns relating to quality of care and the potential for elder abuse. Participants noted a number of strategies they employed in avoiding residential‐care services, including the use of home‐care services, renovating the home for increased mobility, moving to locations with greater access to outside home‐care services, a preference for lesbian/gay‐specific housing and residential‐care options if available, and the option of voluntary euthanasia to ensure dignity and autonomy. Participants, on the whole, were hopeful that they would never require the use of residential‐care services, with some believing that having current good health or the support of friends could prevent this from happening. The findings suggest that older lesbian and gay people have a variety of concerns with aged‐care and may need additional support and education to improve their perceptions and experiences of services, whether these are needed presently or in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and Objectives The purpose of this study was to consider how fear and symptom experience are perceived in patients with heart failure at the end of life. Background Heart failure is a burdensome condition and mortality rates are high globally. There is substantive literature describing suffering and unmet needs but description of the experience of fear and the relationship with symptom burden is limited. Design A convergent mixed methods design was used. Methods Data from the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire ( n = 55) were compared to data from in-depth interviews ( n = 5). Results Patients denied fear when asked directly, but frequently referred to moments of being afraid when they were experiencing symptoms. In addition, patients reported few troublesome symptoms on the survey, but mentioned many more symptoms during interviews. Conclusions These data not only identify the relationship between psychological issues and symptom experience but also elucidate the benefit of a mixed method approach in describing such experiences from the perspective of the patient. Future research should examine relationships between and among symptom experience, fear and other psychological constructs across the illness trajectory. Relevance to Clinical Practice Conversations about the interaction of symptom burden and fear can lead to both a more robust assessment of symptoms and lead to patient centred interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]