Trauma-informed Care in Obstetrics: a Needs Assessment
Problem: Trauma-informed care is a framework that helps clinicians appreciate
the widespread impact of trauma, recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma,
fully integrate knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and
practices, and actively resist re-traumatization.There is a growing body of literature
examining how and when to incorporate trauma-informed care into undergraduate
and graduate medical education.Examples
include a trauma-informed physical exam curriculum for first year medical
students, introduction of trauma-informed care principles through symposia
during the pre-clinical years, and trauma-informed care for sexual assault
survivors.However, it is unclear if and
when trauma-informed care training is provided during medical school, and
whether or not this training is elective or required.As a result, incoming residents receive
varying levels of exposure to trauma-informed care and it is difficult to
tailor future training to their needs.
Intervention: Residents from OB/GYN, family medicine, emergency medicine, and
anesthesia were surveyed regarding prior trauma-informed care training.They were asked if, when, and how this
training was delivered during medical school, and whether or not they have
received training during residency.
Context: During didactic sessions, residents in the above specialties were
surveyed. OB/GYN, family medicine, emergency medicine, and anesthesia were
selected as they routinely care for pregnant populations and future
trauma-informed care training is planned during labor and delivery
rotations.
Outcome: Residents were interested in learning more about trauma-informed
care.They entered residency with
varying degrees of trauma-informed training and were interested in case-based
discussion and simulation to practice trauma-informed communication
skills.
