How Medical Social Workers Go through Ethical Dilemmas with Displaced Patients: A Qualitative Study Based on a Tertiary Hospital in Shanghai, China.

This study investigates the ethical dilemmas faced by medical social workers providing services to displaced patients—those unable to be discharged due to complex personal, familial, medical, and social challenges—at a tertiary hospital in Shanghai. Using clinical data mining of 49 case records over five years, the research developed a social work intervention model emphasizing empowerment of individuals, reconstruction of family systems, coordination within medical systems, and integration of social support networks. The findings highlight the importance of balancing patient privacy, neutrality, family involvement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and advocacy for policy support within the cultural context of Chinese family-centered ethics. The study underscores the need for systematic, patient-centered care approaches that address structural resource limitations and promote ethical decision making across multiple systems.