Eine Programmtheorie Sozialer Arbeit in der medizinischen Rehabilitation – als Beispiel empirisch-fundierter Theoriearbeit in den Gesundheitswissenschaften

This cumulative dissertation focuses on the theoretical development of social work in medical rehabilitation and its relevance to public health. It is based on five peer-reviewed publications that examine the effectiveness, mechanisms, and theoretical foundations of social work in this field. Some of these publications emerged from the third-party-funded research project "Social Work Mechanisms in Medical Rehabilitation [Sozialarbeiterische Wirkmechanismen in der medizinischen Rehabilitation] (SWIMMER project)," while others contribute through additional empirical and conceptual analyses. <br /> PUBLICATION A provides a systematic review of existing evidence on the effectiveness of social work in medical rehabilitation in Germany, the findings of which indicate that while social work interventions are well established, they are rarely evaluated and lack a strong theoretical foundation. <br /> PUBLICATION B outlines the theoretical and conceptual framework of the SWIMMER project, analysing variations in service provision and describing the role of social work in rehabilitation from a public health perspective. <br /> PUBLICATION C develops an empirically grounded program theory of social work in medical rehabilitation based on qualitative research, identifying key work practices, responsibilities, and interaction settings, and integrating them into the SWIMMER model. <br /> PUBLICATION D examines the ethical challenges social workers face by employing the framework of social work's "triple mandate." The study illuminates how social workers in rehabilitation must navigate societal expectations and the interests of patients. While professional standards should function as a framework for resolving these conflicts in a reflective and evidence-based manner, the findings indicate that they are seldom utilised in practice. Instead, decision-making is often based on experiential knowledge or normative reasoning.<br /> PUBLICATION E is informed by the findings of the comprehensive overview of the international research landscape on social work in rehabilitation provided in Publication E. However, for the purposes of this dissertation, the results from randomised controlled trials on the effectiveness of social work interventions were considered in order to ensure a robust evidence-based assessment. <br /> The dissertation makes a contribution to health services research by linking theoretical concepts with empirical results. The development of an empirically supported programme theory provides orientation for practitioners of social work in medical rehabilitation and a conceptual basis for the classification of study results. The work also underlines the need for stronger theoretical modelling to inform the evaluation of interventions.

Level thesis:degree_level

thesis.doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher

Universität Bielefeld

Year

2025

Author dc:creator

• Knoop, Tobias

Repository record source_url

https://pub.uni-bielefeld.de/record/3007121

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:pub.uni-bielefeld.de:3007121