A recent article by TeamHealth dives into how hospitals and health systems can prepare for trauma-informed care.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on TeamHealth's website.
Most of us go about our daily routine with a sense of relative safety and security. That feeling of well-being can be quickly shattered by a traumatic event — the kind of unexpected, life-altering occurrence that we are accustomed to watching on the news.
Unfortunately, traumatic events are not unusual. One estimate places a person’s lifetime chance of experiencing a traumatic event at about 70%. For veterans, that exposure can reach as high as 85%.
Exposure to trauma, whether it involves combat, assault, childhood abuse or a natural disaster, has the potential to change the way we experience ourselves and the world around us. This change is physiological as well as psychological, as trauma has the potential to “rewire” victims in significant ways. Although not everyone who experiences trauma will manifest Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, those who do often perceive themselves as more vulnerable and the world as more dangerous than they did before the trauma. Many of these patients will be chronically suspicious and fearful of their environment, which can have a profound impact on their post-acute care needs. Click here to continue>>
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