Abstract
Hospital discharge is a critical moment for patients and their families in the transition between hospital and community care. Early discharge planning is a healthcare strategy aimed at improving coordination between hospital and community services to ensure a safe transition of care, ultimately leading to better health outcomes. The early identification of patients needing Social Work assessment is essential. The absence of clinical screening tools for Social Work compromises equity and access to social healthcare and an integrated, interdisciplinary plan.
This study aims to evaluate the suitability of the SWAAT scale in a sample of hospitalized patients within the Portuguese context. The scale comprises six items: mobility, mental state, living situation, active social services at the time of assessment, self-perceived need for additional post-discharge care services, and early identification of social needs. Based on scores, patients are categorized as having low, intermediate, or high need for Social Work assessment.
The SWAAT scale was applied to 435 patients admitted to two Internal Medicine Units.
With the intervention stratification score for Social Work as the dependent variable, the analysis found a significant positive correlation with hospital readmissions (r = .150, p < .001) and a large positive correlation with social work needs (r = .526, p < .001). However, no significant association was observed between therapeutic intervention and the score (r = .018, p = .353).
Integrating the SWAAT scale into clinical practice within the National Health System can enhance effectiveness and equity in health through an interdisciplinary approach with Social Work, promoting integrated care, especially for chronic, complex, and more vulnerable patients. This study confirms the scale's suitability in the Portuguese context and addresses a gap in the objectivity of clinical signaling.