Location

Virtual Conference

Start Date

24-6-2022 1:30 PM

End Date

27-6-2022 2:10 PM

Keywords:

montana; missoula; sph

Description

Background: Research suggests exposure to traumatic events is extremely common. Furthermore, risk of developing chronic health conditions or engaging harmful behaviors such as substance use later in life increases with more frequent exposure to traumatic events, especially during childhood. Best evidence recommends delivery of health care using a Trauma Informed Care (TIC) approach to improve outcomes such as anxiety or depression. This care approach guides healthcare providers on interactions with patients centered on the tenets of (1) safety, (2) trustworthiness, (3) peer support, (4) collaboration, (5) empowerment and choice, and (6) cultural, historical, and sex issues. On one inpatient mental health unit treating acutely homicidal and suicidal patients, no formal TIC education was offered to staff, and staff knowledge and self-reported practice of TIC tenets was not known.

Purpose: To assess staff knowledge and perceptions of TIC practices on an inpatient mental health unit.

Methods: All caregivers (nurses, providers, social workers, therapists, mental health technicians, security) were invited via a unique link in a work email to respond to a REDCAP survey. Caregivers were given a total of 6 weeks to respond. The survey included demographics (role, length of time working on the unit) and the valid and reliable trauma-informed practice tool to measure self-reported TIC knowledge, attitudes, and practice. In this scale, 21 items are asked which each range from 0 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree) and all items are summed for a total score. A higher score indicates more favorable knowledge, attitude, and practice behaviors.

Results: A total of 47 caregivers responded to the survey out of 82 eligible (57% response rate). Participants included mainly nurses, followed by security workers, mental health technicians, providers, occupational therapists, and social workers. Of the respondents, 15 (32%) reported having prior trauma-informed care training, and 23 (46%) reported working 5 or more years on the current unit. Overall, the group scored 68.6 out of a possible 84 on the scale. The highest-scoring item (m=3.8) was, “Trauma affects physical, emotional, and mental well-being”. The lowest scoring item (m=2.1) was, “I have a comprehensive understanding of trauma-informed practices”. Nearly all participants (n=39, 83%) reported a desire to receive more training on trauma-informed practices.

Conclusions: Caregivers on an inpatient mental health unit responded positively to a knowledge, attitude, and practice survey on TIC, and a few caregivers reported receiving prior TIC training. Most staff requested continuing education on the topic. Future work on the unit will include assigning a HealthStream module on the TIC tenants to all caregivers. Also, caregivers will be invited to take the survey once more to re-assess changes to self-reported TIC knowledge, attitude, and practices.

Implications for practice: Clinical caregivers on an inpatient mental health unit report a foundational knowledge of TIC concepts and an interest in receiving additional TIC education. Integrating TIC practices into the care delivery on the unit may improve patient symptoms including anxiety and depression and could translate to improved care outcomes for this population.

Past TIC training (n=15) N(%)

No TIC training (n=32) N(%)

Overall (n=47) N(%)

Role

Nurse

9 (60%)

16 (50%)

25 (53.2%)

Provider

0 (0%)

3 (9.4%)

3 (6.4%)

Social Work/Therapist

3 (20%)

1 (3.1%)

4 (8.5%)

Security

2 (13.3%)

9 (28.1%)

11 (23.4%)

Tech

1 (6.7%)

3 (9.4%)

4 (8.5%)

Leads Groups

7 (46.7%)

7 (21.9%)

14 (29.8%)

Length of Service

0-5 years

9 (60%)

16 (50%)

25 (53.2%)

5-10 years

2 (13.3%)

7 (21.9%)

9 (19.1%)

10+ years

4 (26.7%)

9 (28.1%)

13 (27.7%)

Past TIC training (n=15) Mean

No TIC training (n=32) Mean

Overall (n=47) Mean

TIC total score

72.4

66.9

68.6

Additional Files
TIC poster presentation recording.m4a (11488 kB)
Presentation Audio
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Jun 24th, 1:30 PM Jun 27th, 2:10 PM

Assessment of Trauma-Informed Care Knowledge among Caregivers in an Inpatient Mental Health Unit

Virtual Conference

Background: Research suggests exposure to traumatic events is extremely common. Furthermore, risk of developing chronic health conditions or engaging harmful behaviors such as substance use later in life increases with more frequent exposure to traumatic events, especially during childhood. Best evidence recommends delivery of health care using a Trauma Informed Care (TIC) approach to improve outcomes such as anxiety or depression. This care approach guides healthcare providers on interactions with patients centered on the tenets of (1) safety, (2) trustworthiness, (3) peer support, (4) collaboration, (5) empowerment and choice, and (6) cultural, historical, and sex issues. On one inpatient mental health unit treating acutely homicidal and suicidal patients, no formal TIC education was offered to staff, and staff knowledge and self-reported practice of TIC tenets was not known.

Purpose: To assess staff knowledge and perceptions of TIC practices on an inpatient mental health unit.

Methods: All caregivers (nurses, providers, social workers, therapists, mental health technicians, security) were invited via a unique link in a work email to respond to a REDCAP survey. Caregivers were given a total of 6 weeks to respond. The survey included demographics (role, length of time working on the unit) and the valid and reliable trauma-informed practice tool to measure self-reported TIC knowledge, attitudes, and practice. In this scale, 21 items are asked which each range from 0 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree) and all items are summed for a total score. A higher score indicates more favorable knowledge, attitude, and practice behaviors.

Results: A total of 47 caregivers responded to the survey out of 82 eligible (57% response rate). Participants included mainly nurses, followed by security workers, mental health technicians, providers, occupational therapists, and social workers. Of the respondents, 15 (32%) reported having prior trauma-informed care training, and 23 (46%) reported working 5 or more years on the current unit. Overall, the group scored 68.6 out of a possible 84 on the scale. The highest-scoring item (m=3.8) was, “Trauma affects physical, emotional, and mental well-being”. The lowest scoring item (m=2.1) was, “I have a comprehensive understanding of trauma-informed practices”. Nearly all participants (n=39, 83%) reported a desire to receive more training on trauma-informed practices.

Conclusions: Caregivers on an inpatient mental health unit responded positively to a knowledge, attitude, and practice survey on TIC, and a few caregivers reported receiving prior TIC training. Most staff requested continuing education on the topic. Future work on the unit will include assigning a HealthStream module on the TIC tenants to all caregivers. Also, caregivers will be invited to take the survey once more to re-assess changes to self-reported TIC knowledge, attitude, and practices.

Implications for practice: Clinical caregivers on an inpatient mental health unit report a foundational knowledge of TIC concepts and an interest in receiving additional TIC education. Integrating TIC practices into the care delivery on the unit may improve patient symptoms including anxiety and depression and could translate to improved care outcomes for this population.

Past TIC training (n=15) N(%)

No TIC training (n=32) N(%)

Overall (n=47) N(%)

Role

Nurse

9 (60%)

16 (50%)

25 (53.2%)

Provider

0 (0%)

3 (9.4%)

3 (6.4%)

Social Work/Therapist

3 (20%)

1 (3.1%)

4 (8.5%)

Security

2 (13.3%)

9 (28.1%)

11 (23.4%)

Tech

1 (6.7%)

3 (9.4%)

4 (8.5%)

Leads Groups

7 (46.7%)

7 (21.9%)

14 (29.8%)

Length of Service

0-5 years

9 (60%)

16 (50%)

25 (53.2%)

5-10 years

2 (13.3%)

7 (21.9%)

9 (19.1%)

10+ years

4 (26.7%)

9 (28.1%)

13 (27.7%)

Past TIC training (n=15) Mean

No TIC training (n=32) Mean

Overall (n=47) Mean

TIC total score

72.4

66.9

68.6