Congratulations to Drs. Amanda D. Currie MD, Rachael M. Burke MD, Alfonso Enrique Martinez Nunez MD, Alana McKay MSW, LCSW, Christopher W. Hess MD, Justin D. Hilliard MD, and Michael S. Okun MD on the publication of “The Role of a Social Worker in the Deep Brain Stimulation Preoperative Evaluation: The DBS-FACTS Screening Tool,” which appears in the March issue of Movement Disorders Clinical Practice.
Abstract
Background
Social workers (SW) are part of multidisciplinary teams for many surgical disciplines. Their role in deep brain stimulation (DBS) presurgical evaluations has not been defined.
Objectives
The goal was to characterize the role of SWs in a multidisciplinary DBS presurgical evaluation team and to construct a screening tool to identify patients who could benefit from a preoperative SW consultation.
Methods
A retrospective chart review was conducted on 100 consecutive patients.
Results
Ninety-seven subjects met with the SW. The median age was 68 years; 52% were female. Eight roles for the DBS SW were identified. The SW recommended follow-up for two subjects, and four additional subjects contacted the SW subsequently.
Conclusions
This study revealed how SWs could be integrated into DBS presurgical evaluations. Because most patients do not have specific SW needs, the mnemonic DBS-FACTS (finances, advance care planning, caregivers, transportation, and suicide risk) may identify patients who could benefit from SW consultation.