Trauma-informed precepting: A novel curriculum for faculty development

Abstract

Purpose

Traumatic experiences are ubiquitous and associated with negative impacts on health and wellbeing in patients, students, and clinicians. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a harm reduction framework that aims to minimize re-traumatization and the negative health impacts of trauma. TIC is increasingly being incorporated into undergraduate medical education (UME) curricula; however, to date, there is no standardized curriculum to support faculty in precepting TIC clinical skills.

Methods

We created a series of five educational modules in an asynchronous online format to support faculty in the instruction and precepting of TIC clinical skills in UME. The modules instruct on trauma epidemiology, trauma-informed clinical skills, trauma-informed precepting, and trauma-informed self-care (TISC). The modules are interactive and utilize multimedia content.

Results

Fifty-three faculty members of the primary care clerkship participated in the modules. After the modules, faculty demonstrated increased knowledge of TIC, though their comfort in applying principles with patients and students was unchanged.

Discussion

We present a novel, standardized curriculum to support faculty in the practice and precepting of TIC clinical skills. The intervention is shown to promote knowledge surrounding TIC. In the future, pairing these asynchronous modules with in-person training may be necessary to improve comfort with the application of these skills.

Keywords:

• Adverse childhood experiences
• continuing medical education
• trauma-informed care
• trauma-informed medical education

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Pooja Mehta, MD, the Mass General Brigham Trauma-informed Care Education and Training Committee in collaboration with HMS Media Services, and Samara Grossman, LICSW, for their contributions to the video content presented in the module. The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Dave Hirsh, Dr. Nora Osman, Dr. Eve Rittenberg, Dr. Sarah Berman, and Dr. Katherine McDaniel for their contributions to the module content. Finally, we would like to acknowledge Erica Chapman and Evan Sanders of HMS Curriculum Services for their technical assistance throughout.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Taylor Brown

Taylor Brown, MD, is a physician and Medical Education Fellow in the Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Allison Fialkowski

Allison Fialkowski, MD, is a resident physician in Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Sadie Elisseou

Sadie Elisseou, MD, is an Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and a physician with the Department of Internal Medicine, Veteran Affairs Boston Healthcare System.

Samara Grossman

Samara Grossman, LICSW, is a social worker in Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Zachary Sager

Zachary Sager, MD, is an Instructor at Harvard Medical School; and a physician with theDepartment of Psychiatry, Veteran Affairs Boston Healthcare System.

Jennifer Potter

Jennifer Potter, MD, is a professor in the Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and aphysician in theDepartment of General Internal Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Nhi-Ha Trinh

Nhi-Ha Trinh, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, and Associate Director of Holmes Society, Office of Student Affairs, Harvard Medical School; Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital.