Impact of Trauma-Informed Care Training on Attitudes Among Emergency Department Personnel, Staff Advocates, and Nursing Students

Abstract

Background: Health care providers may risk retraumatizing patients and intensifying patient distress unless they practice trauma-informed care. As the first line of defense in assisting trauma survivors' physical and emotional recovery, health care providers must use a strengths-based framework that promotes resilience and expands on the trauma survivor's existing resources.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effect of trauma-informed care training on the attitudes of emergency department personnel, staff advocates, and nursing students toward trauma-informed care.

Methods: This study used a pretest-posttest design. Assessment of attitudes toward trauma-informed care was done before and after trauma-informed care training. Data collection occurred from February 2021 through August 2021. Participants included three cohorts of emergency department staff, advocates for trauma survivors, and nursing students. Attitudes toward trauma-informed care were measured using the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC) Scale.

Results: A total of 433 participants were studied, including 88 emergency department staff, 123 staff advocates, and 222 nursing students. All three cohorts significantly increased ARTIC Scale scores posttraining (p < .001). At preintervention, all three cohorts significantly differed from each other on ARTIC Scale scores (p < .01). In contrast, postintervention, ARTIC Scale scores did not significantly differ between nursing students and advocates (p = .99). Nursing students showed a significant increase in scores from pre- to postintervention compared with either advocates or emergency department staff.

Conclusion: The results strongly suggest that health care providers can improve attitudes toward trauma-informed care after completing training on the principles and application of trauma-informed care.