Educating for Empathy: A Simulation-Based Approach to Trauma-Informed Care in Residency Training

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Trauma-informed care (TIC) is crucial but often missing in physician training.
• Most physicians lack skills to address patients' trauma histories effectively.
• High rates of trauma exposure necessitate better physician preparedness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a hybrid educational intervention's impact on internal medicine residents' empathy and attitudes toward TIC.
• To assess the feasibility of integrating TIC training into residency programs.
• To determine if structured TIC education can mitigate empathy decline during residency.

Main Methods:

• A hybrid curriculum combining didactics and standardized patient (SP) scenarios was implemented.
• Second-year internal medicine residents participated in educational sessions and Observed Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs).
• Residents completed the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) and Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC) Scale at baseline, 3, and 6 months.

Main Results:

• High baseline scores on empathy and TIC attitudes were observed.
• Trends indicated increased empathy and trauma-informed attitudes post-intervention.
• No statistically significant changes were found, but importantly, no decline in empathy occurred.

Conclusions:

• Integrating TIC training into residency education is feasible and potentially beneficial.
• Structured TIC education and OSCEs may support and enhance trauma-informed communication skills.
• Findings support formal inclusion of TIC in graduate medical education, warranting further research.