The impact of expert system technology on the delivery of social services.
Item
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Title
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The impact of expert system technology on the delivery of social services.
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Identifier
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AAI9304660
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identifier
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9304660
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Creator
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Ferns, William Joseph, Jr.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Abbe Mowshowitz
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Date
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1992
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Computer Science | Social Work | Health Sciences, Mental Health | Artificial Intelligence
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Abstract
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The use of expert systems in the delivery of social services is receiving greater attention, due to factors such as constrained agency budgets, staff turnover, and increasing dependence upon paraprofessionals to carry out tasks formerly performed by mental health and social work professionals. This study concentrates on clinical and organizational ramifications expert systems may have on social service delivery, particularly when used by paraprofessionals to provide services. This thesis uses a specific system to examine the effects of expert systems, especially in determining how such systems might be used effectively in the face of the cost and other constraints mentioned.;The particular expert system examined here is called Lifenet, a program designed for the risk assessment of adolescent suicide. An experiment compared the clinical performance of a study group of social service paraprofessionals using Lifenet with a control group of paraprofessionals using a manual instrument; both groups interviewed confederates posing as youthful clients.;The study group using Lifenet made more accurate clinical assessments and in less time than did the control group. The results also showed that paraprofessionals using Lifenet recorded client data more accurately than did the control group. Conversely, the control group indicated a greater likelihood to disagree with the assessment recommended by the manual procedure; this suggests that paraprofessionals using computer technology for clinical purposes may abdicate some decision-making responsibilities. The results of a post-experiment attitudinal survey indicate that there was no more resistance on the part of the caseworkers to using Lifenet as opposed to a manual assessment procedure.;The experimental results support the clinical and administrative feasibility of incorporating expert systems into social service delivery, but greater understanding of the impact of such systems on the overall agency is required. Similarities between the health care and social service industries suggest an existing trend towards the ascendancy of professional managers in the social service organization, with a concomitant loss of power on the part of professional service providers; additionally, the use of information technology generally tends to reinforce the power of those manage the technology. Computerized expert systems are likely to exacerbate that trend.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
