Trauma-Informed Healthcare

Preventative health-care is extremely important. Going for regularly scheduled appointments with doctors and dentists reduces the risk of various diseases and death (Health.gov). Preventative appointments give healthcare professionals the chance to see the warning signs of diseases or ailments and help their patient prevent it before it even begins. They can also catch diseases earlier, when they are easier to treat. Patients can also get vaccines during these appointments to help prevent illness. 

For female patients, seeing an OBGYN regularly is also important in preventing or catching cancer. OBGYNs perform pelvic exams, including pap smears, which is a screening procedure for cervical cancer. Another form of cancer screening that should be done regularly is mammograms, which screen for breast cancer. Both of these procedures can be crucial in catching cancer early and preventing death. 

But for survivors of sexual violence, these procedures can be triggering. Having to undress, and allowing strangers— even if they are medical professionals— to see or touch their body can trigger the trauma of their sexual violence. Every survivor is different, and what is triggering to one may not trigger another. But, triggering situations during medical appointments can be a large barrier for survivors, preventing them from getting important medical care. Many survivors do not get regular medical care because of how damaging it is to their mental health.

With the implementation of trauma-informed care, medical appointments could be less triggering and would allow survivors to access crucial preventative care. Trauma-informed care is an approach towards healthcare that focuses on providing healthcare with the assumption that more people have experienced trauma than not. The goal of trauma-informed healthcare is to provide care without re-traumatizing or triggering patients. It is not about treating the trauma or the symptoms of the trauma— but rather providing care that is accessible to survivors of trauma. 

There are five key principles of trauma-informed care: safety, choice, collaboration, trustworthiness, and empowerment. Safety is about ensuring the patient’s physical and emotional safety. Choice means that the patient has choices and control of their care. Collaboration means that providers should make decisions about care with the patient, rather than for them. Trustworthiness means that providers should provide care in a manner that ensures they are worthy of trust from patients. Empowerment is about providers creating environments that empower and validate survivors. 

Here are some ways that medical professionals can use trauma-informed care:

• Explaining the details of the procedure before and during the procedure

• Allowing patients to remain clothed or wear their own robe rather than a hospital robe 

• Giving patients options on how they want a procedure to be done

  • For example: “Do you want to do X first or Y first?” “Do you want to do this laying down or sitting up?”

• Allowing patients to stop for breaks or to completely stop 

• Having consultations with patients before their first medical appointment for them to meet the staff and doctors and to become comfortable with the office

With trauma-informed care, healthcare providers can give patients better treatment by avoiding re-traumatization and fostering better relationships with their patients overall. Survivors of trauma feel welcome in their doctor’s offices and are willing to go back. They are able to access important preventative care without sacrificing their mental health. 

While trauma-informed care is being prioritized more and more in the healthcare community, not all medical professionals practice trauma-informed care. Here are some ways survivors of trauma can find trauma-informed professionals: 

• Read their website to see if they have any information about their approaches or practices— they may state that they have experience treating trauma or that they practice trauma-informed care

• Find verified providers near you at www.survivors.org/medical

• Call providers and ask questions. You can outright ask if they provide trauma-informed care. Or, you can ask things like:

  • Do you have experience working with patients who are survivors of trauma?

  • Do you provide accommodations for those who have experienced trauma?

  • Would it be possible to have a short consultation with the doctor ahead of my first appointment so that I can discuss the specifics of my care?

• Reach out to a local sexual violence crisis center— they may be able to refer you to providers in your area that they work with or they know provide trauma-informed care

Trauma-informed care is key in making crucial preventative care accessible to survivors of trauma. Providing survivors safe and comfortable spaces for them to get medical care can greatly improve their health. 

If you or someone you know is a survivor of trauma and is in need of resources, please go to Survivors.org. We believe you and we are here for you!

Written By: Isabel Greenstein, PAVE’s Fall 2021 Outreach Intern