C40. Implementation of a Brief Childhood Trauma Screening Tool and Trauma-Informed Care Interventions Staff Development on Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Units

C40. Implementation of a Brief Childhood Trauma Screening Tool and Trauma-Informed Care Interventions Staff Development on Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Units

C40. Implementation of a Brief Childhood Trauma Screening Tool and Trauma-Informed Care Interventions Staff Development on Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Units

Learner category:

• Novice Level

Learning objectives:

• Participants will be able to recognize the utility of the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC-40) in screening for traumatic childhood experiences
• Participants will be able to relate the nursing staff participant’s willingness and comfort to screen patients using the selected screening tool before and after the training
• Participants will be able to relate the nursing’ staff’s knowledge of trauma-informed care nursing interventions before and after the training
• Participants will be able to name trauma-informed care nursing interventions from the nursing staff training

Abstract

Background: Traumatic childhood experiences pose a significant societal issue with lasting effects. Victims of traumatic childhood experiences have disproportionately higher rates of mental illness, substance use disorders, and other medical conditions. Objectives: The aim of the DNP project was to ascertain a sufficient sum of quantitatively designed pre and post-surveys from nursing staff participants on adult inpatient psychiatric units to determine comfort, knowledge, and willingness of the participants with regard to utilization of a traumatic childhood experiences screening tool and the provision of trauma-informed care nursing interventions. Design: The nursing staff training transpired surrounding the implementation of a traumatic childhood experiences screening tool, the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC-40), in determining the participants’ willingness and comfort to use the screening tool before and after the training using a pre and post-survey process. Nursing staff development encompassing trauma-informed care nursing interventions by assessing the participants’ knowledge base before and after the training was determined through participant completion of the surveys. Results: The results demonstrated the participants acquired an increase in knowledge regarding trauma-informed care nursing interventions and ongoing readiness to offer these interventions. These results further demonstrated the participants had an increase in level of comfort and willingness to screen for traumatic childhood experiences during a patient’s inpatient stay after the trauma-informed care training and piloting of the TSC-40 screening tool. Conclusion: The DNP results signified the nursing staff on adult inpatient psychiatric units ascertained an increase in knowledge, comfort, and willingness to provide nursing care using a trauma-informed care approach.

Authors

Kristerra Yawea

DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC

This author has had the privilege of serving in the nursing field for over fifteen years with over eleven years of experience working in psychiatric and dual diagnosis healthcare settings, both inpatient and outpatient. Currently, this author is working as a psychiatric mental-health nurse practitioner to provide psychopharmacological including MAT, case management, and psychotherapy services in an outpatient, multidisciplinary setting in serving the Alaskan community. Additionally, this author is employed as a nursing adjunct faculty member at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, College of Nursing instructing at the nursing undergraduate and graduate level in the provision of didactic and clinical learning experiences. This author completed obtained her doctorate of nursing practice as a psychiatric mental-health nurse practitioner at New Mexico State University in 2018 with her DNP project focusing on the provision of trauma-informed care nursing interventions and screening patients on inpatient psychiatric units for traumatic childhood experiences.