Staff Ed: Trauma-Informed Care Can Improve the Patient Experience
Providing healthcare isn’t always as simple as putting a cast on a broken bone or stitching up a cut. Understanding different people and their needs can be complicated. It can help, as a provider, to have a fuller picture of the patient’s situation.
Consider that many adults have been through a trauma in their lives. A patient’s negative past experiences can affect their care.
An approach called trauma-informed care takes this into account. It changes the focus from what is wrong with a person to what has happened to that person. The patient brings their past experiences to their interaction with a provider, not just their symptoms.
How trauma affects medical care
Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event. Some examples could be an accident, crime, natural disaster, physical or emotional abuse, or death of a loved one. Someone who has been through trauma might react with emotions such as shock and denial.
In some cases, visiting a healthcare provider may be a trigger for someone who has gone through trauma. For example, it could be jarring for a victim of sexual violence to be asked about their sexual history. As the provider, you can help by explaining how the question relates to the patient’s care.
Medical treatments themselves can be a source of trauma for many people. Someone who has been treated for an illness may fear hospitals. Others may fear blood or needles.
What is trauma-informed care?
Trauma-informed care is built on several principles:
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Safety. This means not only physical safety but also emotional safety.
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Trustworthiness and transparency. Treatment is most effective when patients understand the reasons for it. Openness creates trust between a provider and a patient.
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Peer support. Patients are never alone in their treatment. They should understand that others have gone through something similar.
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Collaboration and mutuality. Trauma-informed care tries to correct power imbalances. Patients should have a key role in treatment decisions.
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Empowerment voice and choice. Everyone involved in a patient’s care has something to contribute. The patient is an expert about their own body. Their loved ones know the patient and understand what will and won’t help them.
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Cultural, historical, and gender issues. Trauma-informed care tries to make providers aware of biases and stereotypes and to correct them. All medical staff and leaders should work to ensure biases and stereotypes do not affect patient care.
How to practice trauma-informed care
Trauma-informed care holds that anyone who seeks treatment deserves to be heard and respected. Examples of trauma-informed care include:
Providers following this approach should make sure everyone on their staff does, too. Any medical facility providing trauma-based care should:
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Provide all patients with respectful screening.
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Use this approach in every part of the organization.
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Train staff in any new policies.
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Hold staff accountable for their behavior.
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Create an internal trauma team.
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Include patients and their families in planning treatments.
Medical facilities can also teach their staff how to spot trauma. It’s important for everyone to work together to create a safe space where each patient gets the care they need.