Resident LSUHSC Pediatrics New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Background: Trauma Informed Care (TIC) is medical care in which all parties involved assess, recognize, and respond to the effects of traumatic stress on children, caregivers, and healthcare providers. An adaptation of TIC practices for the NICU was provided by Sanders et al. who described a NICU environment that is family-centered, developmentally minded, and mediated through caregiver relationships. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration described staff education as one of the key principles of a trauma-informed approach, and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education recently required pediatric trainee education to include instruction on effective communication strategies with patients and families that are consistent with TIC. Despite clear guidelines and recommendations for TIC practices in the NICU and educational requirements for NICU healthcare professionals, there is little research on knowledge and attitudes surrounding TIC among pediatric trainees and other healthcare professionals in the NICU. Objective: The objectives of this study were to describe the knowledge and attitudes among health professionals surrounding TIC practices in the NICU as well as to compare differences among interdisciplinary health professionals and between NICU facilities. Design/Methods: The Trauma Informed Care Provider Survey developed by the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress (CPTS) was used for the study assessment. Questions were modified for compatibility with the NICU environment with permission and guidance by CPTS to retain survey validity. Questions were added to the survey to assess for profession and primary NICU clinical rotation site. The study was exempt by Tulane Institutional Review Board (as IRB of record) with Louisiana State University reliance. The survey was administered via university-owned REDCap software was and distributed to south Louisiana hospital NICUs via email and flyers. Data was stored on university owned encrypted cloud servers and was analyzed on university owned devices.
