The Benefits of a Trauma-Informed Approach to Practice

PW Editorial Board member and columnist Alex McDonald, MD (family and sports medicine, Kaiser Permanente), speaks with Erika Roshanravan, MD (family physician and medical director, CommuniCare+OLE), about trauma-informed care and the need to shift the focus in patient conversations from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” A trauma-informed approach to care acknowledges that healthcare organizations and care teams need a complete picture of a patient’s life situation—past and present—to provide effective healthcare services with a healing orientation. Adopting trauma-informed practices can potentially improve patient engagement, treatment adherence, and health outcomes, as well as healthcare provider and staff wellness. It can also help reduce avoidable care and excess costs for both the healthcare and social service sectors.

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 More information: 

Felitti VJ, Anda RF, Nordenberg D, Williamson DF, Spitz AM, Edwards V, Koss MP, Marks JS. Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. Am J Prev Med. 1998 May;14(4):245-58. 

The Sanctuary Model: https://www.thesanctuaryinstitute.org/about-us/the-sanctuary-model/

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