Icelandic medical social workers brought new ideas home from Karolinska University Hospital
On September 2 and 3, Karolinska welcomed 13 Icelandic medical social workers from Landspítali University Hospital in Iceland, including a manager and project leaders, for a two day study visit. The goal was to exchange experiences and provide insight into how medical social work is organized and carried out across different parts of the hospital.
The visit was hosted and planned by medical social worker Klara Hjartardóttir, who put together the program and led the group throughout the two days.
The program was wide ranging and included lectures, department visits, and a tour of the hospital.
Medical social work in intensive and emergency care
Among other things, the Icelandic colleagues followed how medical social workers work in the emergency intensive care unit and on the intensive care wards. They also learned about trauma follow up care, a pilot project in which different healthcare professions work systematically to follow up with patients after a trauma admission.
The visit also included a presentation on the hospital's play therapy program, and the group had the opportunity to see the play therapy facilities.
The discharge support unit shared how it works to create a safe and effective transition from hospital to continued care and support.
Discussing Karolinska's work on LGBTQI certification
Medical social workers from ARMI and the pediatric group also presented their work on LGBTQI certification, describing what the certification process involves and how these issues are integrated into daily practice.
The group also met with a coordinator from the Icelandic health insurance system, Margrét Yrsa Richter. It proved to be a valuable meeting for both the Icelandic visitors and their hosts at Karolinska.
Since Karolinska has treated patients from Iceland for many years, the meeting offered a chance to exchange experiences and identify areas where collaboration on shared patients could be developed and improved.
From Iceland to Karolinska, and back again
The exchange of knowledge went both ways, says Linda Maurin, Section Manager, Health Professions.
"On the second day, the Icelandic medical social workers presented how they systematically work with patients seeking care due to intimate partner violence, including how they identify and follow up with patients living in violent circumstances," she says.
The presentations also offered perspective on how similar challenges can be approached in different ways.
"We're grappling with many of the same challenges, but often come up with different solutions. It's valuable to be able to learn from one another," Linda explains.
"We're heading home with pages of ideas"
The visit was very well received by the Icelandic guests, who especially praised how well organized the program was and how valuable it was to get such a broad view of medical social work at Karolinska.
"It was a very well organized visit that gave us a great overview of the medical social workers' work at the hospital. We want to extend our warm thanks for the hospitality," said one visitor.
Several of the lectures sparked recognition and new ways of thinking about their own work:
"The lectures were excellent and very illustrative. What surprised me most was just how similar their challenges are to ours," said another visitor.
"When our Icelandic colleagues left Karolinska, they took with them not only new insight into Swedish healthcare, but also several pages of ideas and concrete thoughts on how to develop and improve their own work back home in Iceland," Linda explains.
Experience exchange sparks new ideas
During the visit, the Icelandic manager and project leaders also met with Linda Maurin for a dedicated exchange on leadership, organization, and the development of medical social work services.
"The study visit became more than just a study visit. It became an opportunity to share experiences, compare approaches, and draw inspiration from one another's solutions," says Linda, adding:
"And maybe that's exactly where the greatest value lies: discovering that many of the challenges are the same, even if there are different ways to meet them."
Text and photo: Karolinska University Hospital.