Trauma-Informed Care for Acute Care Settings: A Novel Simulation Training for Medical Students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Patient Care
• Trauma Studies

Background:

• Physicians frequently encounter patients with histories of trauma, including abuse, discrimination, and violence.
• Trauma-informed care (TIC) is crucial for empowering patients and preventing retraumatization in healthcare settings.
• Educational curricula for applying TIC in acute care are limited, highlighting a need for innovative training methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of simulation-based training in teaching trauma-informed care (TIC) principles to medical students in acute care settings.
• To assess improvements in students' confidence and skills related to TIC through hands-on simulation experiences.
• To determine the feasibility and perceived benefits of simulation as an educational tool for TIC.

Main Methods:

• Medical students received didactic instruction on TIC principles and their application in acute care.
• Learners participated in three simulation cases involving intimate partner violence, transgender health, and discrimination, practicing history taking and physical exams.
• Post-simulation debriefing and pre- and post-surveys were used to evaluate learning outcomes and participant confidence.

Main Results:

• Seventeen medical students demonstrated statistically significant improvements in self-assessed confidence across multiple TIC domains (p ≤ .01).
• Participants reported increased familiarity with TIC-specific history taking and physical exam skills.
• Simulation was overwhelmingly perceived as a beneficial educational tool for learning TIC.

Conclusions:

• Simulation-based training is a feasible and effective method for equipping healthcare professionals with TIC skills for acute care environments.
• This training empowers students to practice crucial conversations and interventions for patients who have experienced trauma.
• The approach holds promise for enhancing emergency department and in-patient care by integrating TIC principles.