Researchers surveyed 232 nurses across five level I and level II pediatric trauma centers about their knowledge, opinions, and current practices in addressing psychological recovery in their injured patients. More than 90 percent of the nurses surveyed recognize the importance of attending to psychosocial needs as part of trauma nursing care, and 75 to 80 percent report that they encourage parents to turn to family and friends for support and help parents manage a child’s pain and anxiety during procedures. However, far fewer nurses surveyed reported directly assessing a child or parent’s distress or providing specific instruction in how to cope with difficult or painful experiences.
“When a child is hospitalized for an injury, nurses play a key role not only in medical care, but also in helping families cope and fully recover emotionally,” says Nancy Kassam-Adams, PhD, a psychologist, director of the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress at CHOP, and a lead author on the study. “Taken together with other recent studies that found only one in five trauma centers routinely screen child and youth for traumatic stress responses, these results help to identify gaps in current practice and point to possible policy and training needs.”
According to one parent’s experience after her son suffered severe injuries, the care he received at the hospital from the nursing staff made all the difference in his healthy recovery, both medically and emotionally. “For a long time after my son Stephen’s accident, I was committed to remaining strong for him and my family and just powering us all through the crisis,” says Kathy Conaboy, a member of the Center’s Family Advisory Committee. "What I realized over time with the help of his nurses was that our entire family was traumatized, and we needed help that I didn’t even know that I needed to ask for. We gradually learned from his nurses how to talk about what happened and to seek positive coping skills and supports to be able to move forward."
The results of this survey suggest that efforts to improve trauma-informed pediatric nursing care should highlight specific skills related to helping patients and their parents manage emotional responses to difficult medical experiences. As one nurse surveyed for the study noted: “I would like to have information about what to teach parents to say and how to talk about the event without re-traumatizing the patient.”To help nurses build on the skills they already possess and to promote full recovery in the pediatric patients they treat, the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress is now offering free continuing education courses in trauma-informed care at HealthCareToolbox. The training is based on the “DEF Protocol” created by the Medical Trauma Working Group of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, which helps healthcare providers address distress, emotional support, and family needs in a systematic manner. Downloadable patient education materials in English and Spanish are also available on the website.###
About The Center for Injury Research and Prevention at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia The Center for Injury Research and Prevention at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was established in 1996 to advance the safety and health of children, adolescents, and young adults through comprehensive research that encompasses before-the-injury prevention to after-the-injury healing. The Center's multidisciplinary research team, with expertise in the Behavioral Sciences; Medicine; Engineering; Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Human Factors; Public Health; and Communications, translates rigorous scientific research into practical tools and guidelines for families, professionals, and policymakers. For more information on the Center and its research initiatives, visit injury.research.chop.edu.
About The Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress The Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress (CPTS) was founded in 2002 to address medical trauma in the lives of children and families. CPTS is located at two of the premier children’s hospitals in the country: The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Nemours A.I. du Pont Hospital for Children. CPTS is a partner in the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). CPTS seeks to increase awareness among healthcare providers of medical traumatic stress (traumatic stress related to medical events). CPTS develops and promotes empirically based screening and intervention for ill or injured children and their families, and provides training to medical and mental health providers about medical traumatic stress. The Center creates patient education tools in English and Spanish. For more information on CPTS, visit HealthCareToolbox.org. SOURCE The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
About The Children's Hospital of PhiladelphiaThe Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 535-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.
MEDIA CONTACT
Register for reporter access to contact detailsCITATIONS
Journal of Pediatric Nursing
RSS