Nurses are Integral to Trauma Informed Care | Patient Centered Care and Trauma Informed Care for Pediatric Patients

Pediatric Medical Traumatic Stress

Providing nursing care is all about providing comprehensive care to the patient. It's about attending to the physical ailments and the psycho-social state of the patient and their family. It's about understanding...

By integrating an understanding of traumatic stress in their routine interactions with children and families (i.e., providing "trauma-informed" pediatric care), nurses can change how children and families respond to and cope with emotional reactions to illness and injury.

The nature of nursing lends itself well to providing trauma informed care. As Rebecca Lehto, Ph.D., RN, OCN, assistant professor in the College of Nursing at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan explains, “nursing by its very nature carries a commitment to providing a holistic assessment of the patient as a human being”. She adds “nursing is patient-focused, not disease-focused. As humans, we are complicated, biological, psychological and social creatures. It’s all integrated. Addressing a patient’s mental health is part of providing that comprehensive care to a patient – and it’s an integral part of ensuring that we are providing the best care possible.”

As a nurse, how do you provide trauma informed care to your patients?

Pediatric Medical Traumatic Stress

Patient Education

Screening & Assessment

Intervention

Trauma-Informed Care

COVID-19

Resources