Implementing a trauma ‐informed system of care: An analysis of learning collaborative outcomes

AbstractTrauma exposure can negatively impact health. Trauma-informed care implementation within health care systems may improve the identification and treatment of trauma-related illness on a population health level. The current study investigated outcomes of a multiagency implementation of trauma-informed care for Medicaid-enrolled adults and children in 23 rural Pennsylvania (United States) counties. Changes in trauma symptom screening, the number of staff trained in trauma-informed care, and clinician confidence in using trauma-informed care were assessed in participating treatment agencies (N = 22) over the course of a 15-month trauma-informed care learning collaborative (TLC). Data included monthly agency-reported screening, training, and confidence outcomes, which were analyzed using repeated-measures analyses of variance. Trauma symptom screening rates improved from 41.1% (SD = 43.0%) to 93.3% (SD = 12.0),p< .001; ηp2 = .30. The average number of cumulative staff members trained in trauma-informed care per agency increased from 24.43 (SD = 42.22) to 140.00 (SD = 150.87),p< .001, Kendall'sW = .09. The percentage of agencies that reported high confidence in delivering trauma-informed care increased from 15.8% (SD = 15.5%) to 80.5% (SD = 17.7%),p< .001; ηp2 = .45. Pairwise comparisons revealed both screening rates and confidence ratings reached significant improvement in Month 11 of the TLC, suggesting that these processes may be related. A total of 2,935 staf...
Source: Journal of Traumatic Stress - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research