Health care providers’ comfort caring for trauma-exposed patients in the primary care setting: A mixed methods approach
Introduction: Patients seeking primary care often present with health concerns related to psychological trauma, highlighting the importance of health care providers’ (HCPs) comfort discussing trauma in the primary care setting. This study used mixed methods, including qualitative content analysis, t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_320_24 |
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| author | Emma C. Lathan Ryan Langhinrichsen-Rohling Elizabeth McAfee Stan C. Sonu Tamara Haynes Abigail Powers |
| author_facet | Emma C. Lathan Ryan Langhinrichsen-Rohling Elizabeth McAfee Stan C. Sonu Tamara Haynes Abigail Powers |
| author_sort | Emma C. Lathan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction:
Patients seeking primary care often present with health concerns related to psychological trauma, highlighting the importance of health care providers’ (HCPs) comfort discussing trauma in the primary care setting. This study used mixed methods, including qualitative content analysis, to (1) document HCPs’ trauma-related comfort levels and factors contributing to discomfort and (2) examine the associations between provider-level factors and comfort.
Materials and Methods:
Direct patient care providers (74.6% physicians/residents; 68.7% women; 44.8% White; Mage = 36.7 years, SDage = 9.8) were recruited from primary care clinics in an urban public hospital system in the United States to complete a survey assessing trauma-related comfort; responses to open-ended prompts were coded by independent raters.
Results:
Few HCPs endorsed comfort providing care to patients with known trauma histories (29.8%), most often citing limited knowledge and fear of exacerbating symptoms as contributors to discomfort. HCPs most often endorsed formal education and integrated behavioral health teams as having enhanced their comfort providing trauma-informed care; 59.2% indicated that receiving formal education would further increase comfort. HCPs’ comfort was unrelated provider-level factors other than department, F (2,53) =6.56, P = 0.003, and race, F (2,52) =5.69, P = 0.006.
Discussion:
Findings provide critical context to HCPs’ trauma-related discomfort as well as actionable next steps to increase trauma-related comfort during primary care encounters. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-612495a7917e4bd08b793ffd21951627 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2249-4863 2278-7135 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care |
| spelling | doaj-art-612495a7917e4bd08b793ffd219516272025-08-20T01:59:16ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Family Medicine and Primary Care2249-48632278-71352024-11-0113114844485210.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_320_24Health care providers’ comfort caring for trauma-exposed patients in the primary care setting: A mixed methods approachEmma C. LathanRyan Langhinrichsen-RohlingElizabeth McAfeeStan C. SonuTamara HaynesAbigail PowersIntroduction: Patients seeking primary care often present with health concerns related to psychological trauma, highlighting the importance of health care providers’ (HCPs) comfort discussing trauma in the primary care setting. This study used mixed methods, including qualitative content analysis, to (1) document HCPs’ trauma-related comfort levels and factors contributing to discomfort and (2) examine the associations between provider-level factors and comfort. Materials and Methods: Direct patient care providers (74.6% physicians/residents; 68.7% women; 44.8% White; Mage = 36.7 years, SDage = 9.8) were recruited from primary care clinics in an urban public hospital system in the United States to complete a survey assessing trauma-related comfort; responses to open-ended prompts were coded by independent raters. Results: Few HCPs endorsed comfort providing care to patients with known trauma histories (29.8%), most often citing limited knowledge and fear of exacerbating symptoms as contributors to discomfort. HCPs most often endorsed formal education and integrated behavioral health teams as having enhanced their comfort providing trauma-informed care; 59.2% indicated that receiving formal education would further increase comfort. HCPs’ comfort was unrelated provider-level factors other than department, F (2,53) =6.56, P = 0.003, and race, F (2,52) =5.69, P = 0.006. Discussion: Findings provide critical context to HCPs’ trauma-related discomfort as well as actionable next steps to increase trauma-related comfort during primary care encounters.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_320_24health care educationhealth care providersptsdtraumatrauma-informed care |
| spellingShingle | Emma C. Lathan Ryan Langhinrichsen-Rohling Elizabeth McAfee Stan C. Sonu Tamara Haynes Abigail Powers Health care providers’ comfort caring for trauma-exposed patients in the primary care setting: A mixed methods approach Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care health care education health care providers ptsd trauma trauma-informed care |
| title | Health care providers’ comfort caring for trauma-exposed patients in the primary care setting: A mixed methods approach |
| title_full | Health care providers’ comfort caring for trauma-exposed patients in the primary care setting: A mixed methods approach |
| title_fullStr | Health care providers’ comfort caring for trauma-exposed patients in the primary care setting: A mixed methods approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | Health care providers’ comfort caring for trauma-exposed patients in the primary care setting: A mixed methods approach |
| title_short | Health care providers’ comfort caring for trauma-exposed patients in the primary care setting: A mixed methods approach |
| title_sort | health care providers comfort caring for trauma exposed patients in the primary care setting a mixed methods approach |
| topic | health care education health care providers ptsd trauma trauma-informed care |
| url | https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_320_24 |
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