Social work fighting covid-19. Support health care system and tracing contacts.

Abstract

This article brings together social work professionals’ experiences of tracing COVID-19 contacts. First, we briefly outline how the pandemic has put the public health system under stress. In this situation, various professions have been required to contribute their skills. Among these, social work has already been integrated into health services, and the profession has experience in controlling infectious diseases. Second, we report the findings of a survey of 108 social workers who have been working within the public healthcare system of the Principality of Asturias (an autonomous region of Spain) to trace the contacts of people who have tested positive for COVID-19. In this empirical part of the article, we highlight findings from the survey that concern the skills that are most necessary for doing this job and the social situations that hamper virus control. Finally, we make some proposals and recommendations that advocate the use of interdisciplinary and social-intervention approaches to make control of epidemics more effective.