Trauma-informed care in medical imaging: A scoping review of current practices and best practice recommendations

Trauma experiences are prevalent and can influence a survivor's interactions within the health care system, including the radiology department. This scoping review aims to map the current literature on trauma-informed care in medical imaging whilst identifying any guidelines or best practice recommendations.

This review aligned with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews. A search strategy was conducted through Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, while grey literature was identified through Google Scholar. Sources were exported to Covidence for screening and Microsoft Excel was utilised for data extraction.

The search identified 1908 articles, with 28 meeting the inclusion criteria. There was limited literature specific to trauma-informed care related to current practices, models, frameworks, guidelines, and recommendations. While ten best practice recommendations were able to be extracted, this was mainly derived from patient-centred care literature. The results suggest trauma-informed care is not widely known or adopted in radiology practice.

This review suggests the development of guidelines specific to the radiology department. To ensure the effective implementation of trauma-informed care, the barriers and enablers should be identified and addressed. Given the minimal literature on trauma-informed care in medical imaging, there is a clear need for further research.

The implementation of trauma-informed care is necessary in radiology practice to prevent re-traumatisation, and hence ensure employees create a safe and welcoming atmosphere for individuals who have experienced trauma.