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A web-based educational intervention to implement trauma-informed care in a paediatric healthcare setting: protocol
Megan Simons1,2, Alexandra De Young2,3, Steven M McPhail4,5
1Occupational Therapy Department, Queensland Children's Hospital, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service, 501 Stanley Street, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101 Australia.
Insights
This study assessed the feasibility of a web-based trauma-informed care education program for pediatric burn care staff. Findings will inform future interventions to reduce pediatric medical traumatic stress.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Trauma-Informed Care
- Health Professions Education
Background:
- Responsive trauma-informed practices can reduce costs and improve outcomes in pediatric care.
- A web-based intervention, Responsive CARE, was developed to enhance staff self-efficacy.
- This study protocol outlines a feasibility and preliminary effectiveness evaluation of Responsive CARE in a pediatric burn clinic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility of implementing the Responsive CARE web-based education intervention.
- To assess the preliminary effectiveness of the intervention on staff self-efficacy.
- To identify factors influencing the implementation of trauma-informed care education in a clinical setting.
Main Methods:
- A pre-post, mixed-methods design will be used.
- Participants include children, caregivers, and health professionals in a pediatric burn outpatient setting.
- Data collection involves quantitative measures (pain, itch, distress) and qualitative interviews; analysis uses descriptive statistics, generalized linear models, and framework analysis.
Main Results:
- Feasibility will be assessed through interviews, usage logs, and technical assistance records.
- Preliminary effectiveness will be measured by changes in pain, itch, and distress.
- The study aims to provide insights into the practical application of trauma-informed education.
Conclusions:
- This study will offer valuable insights into the feasibility of web-based trauma-informed education in clinical settings.
- Findings can guide the development of educational strategies to mitigate pediatric medical traumatic stress.
- The research supports the broader goal of improving patient experiences and reducing negative impacts of healthcare interactions.
Background:
Adoption of responsive trauma-informed practices by staff in hospital-based paediatric care may help mitigate downstream costs associated with treatment delivery due to reduced pain and distress for children and care providers, improved health-related quality of life and increased satisfaction with care. A web-based education intervention (termed Responsive CARE) was developed to build self-efficacy of staff in a paediatric medical setting. This protocol paper describes a feasibility study (including preliminary effectiveness) of the implementation of Responsive CARE in a tertiary, outpatient burn clinical setting.
Methods:
A pre-post, mixed methods design will be employed. Children and caregivers attending hospital for change of burn wound dressings or burn scar management during the 3-month control or 3-month intervention period will be eligible, with follow-up to 6-months post-baseline. All children and caregiver/s will receive "standard care" including burn interventions focused on wound healing, scar management, itch management (both pharmacological and non-pharmacological), counselling, age-appropriate procedural support and burn rehabilitation. Health professional participants will be those involved in the management of children with burns during the study period or their senior managers. Health professional participants who attend a weekly educational clinical meeting will be invited to complete the intervention during a 1-month timeframe between the control and intervention period (or upon their commencement in burn outpatients during the intervention period) using an individualised log-in process. A purposive sample of caregivers and health professionals will be sought for participation in semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data will be analysed using Framework analysis. Feasibility will be evaluated via interviews, digital records of intervention usage and technical assistance logs. The primary outcome measures of effectiveness (pain, itch and distress) will be measured using self-report or behavioural observation. Quantitative data will primarily be analysed descriptively and using generalised linear models.
Discussion:
This study will provide insights into factors that impact upon the feasibility of a web-based trauma-informed care education intervention in a clinical practice setting. This knowledge may support other education approaches within healthcare settings related to improving and supporting patients to reduce the risk of healthcare interactions that result in paediatric medical traumatic stress.
