Trauma-Informed Professional Development: An Intervention Mapping Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Occupational Health
• Psychology

Background:

• Nurses face significant mental and physical health challenges due to workplace traumatic events.
• High rates of burnout and stress impact the nursing profession.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop trauma-informed professional development (TIPD) interventions for nurses experiencing traumatic stress.
• Utilize intervention mapping to create targeted strategies for a rehabilitation hospital setting.

Main Methods:

• Employed a community-based participatory research design.
• Applied an intervention mapping approach, incorporating theory, literature, and focus group feedback.
• Developed logic models based on input from nursing leaders, practitioners, and direct-care nurses.

Main Results:

• Key themes identified for interventions included safety, empowerment, peer support, and awareness.
• Specific TIPD interventions were constructed based on the developed logic models.
• Focus groups provided essential data for tailoring interventions to the rehabilitation hospital context.

Conclusions:

• Trauma-informed professional development is crucial for addressing nurse well-being.
• Interventions focusing on safety, empowerment, peer support, and awareness can mitigate the effects of workplace trauma on nurses.
• This study provides a framework for developing evidence-based interventions to support nurses in high-stress environments.