Trauma-Informed Medical Care
My blog post focuses on trauma-informed care, its benefits, and ways trauma-informed practices can be implemented in other areas and fields that often interact with justice-involved people. Here, I focus on trauma-informed medical care. It is important to note that trauma-informed practices can help both offenders and victims of crimes in countless ways.
Trauma-Informed Medical Care: In a small study of sexual assault survivors, all participants report avoiding routine medical care after their sexual assaults. The details of each person’s experiences differ significantly. However, none of the participants experienced sexual assault in a medical setting- an important distinction as we discuss why this population avoids care. Medical care often consists of exams with varying degrees of invasiveness, and there is usually a perceived power imbalance between provider and patient. Mary Farley (2022) writes about survivors avoiding medical care, “Avoiding these appointments, screenings, and tests comprise long-term care. For SA assault survivors, annual gynecological physicals have similarities to the details of their assault.” (Farley, 2022, p.4). Farley (2022) suggests that trauma-informed care in primary care settings might have a significant impact on survivors and their willingness to consent to routine medical procedures and screenings. Farley (2022) notes one key barrier to more providers embracing a trauma-informed approach: time. Providers often try to see as many patients as possible daily, making visits rushed and usually impersonal. In this course, we discuss trauma-informed yoga or trauma-sensitive yoga. Dr. Rousseau (2024) includes in her week six lecture, the ‘Yoga Service Council’s Best Practices for Yoga with Veterans,’ a critical point that applies to all trauma survivors is maximizing safety, control, and predictability. Whether in the medical setting or in a yoga class, survivors of any form of trauma will feel safer the more in control they feel.
Control and predictability are critical. Applying these principles to medical care, survivors must know what to expect, and they also must know their provider respects the word “no,” something that was likely not respected during their assault.
Farley, M. (2022). Access Barriers to Long-term Healthcare for Female Sexual Assault Survivors. University of Central Florida STARS.
Rousseau , D. (2024, August). Trauma and Crisis Intervention . Module 6. Boston, MA.