An Exploration of Clinician's Personal Experience of Trauma and Its Impact on Screening Female Patients For Trauma [8E

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Physical and sexual trauma can impact the health of patients, yet screening rates are low. Factors associated with screening are needed. We sought to determine whether clinician's personal experience of physical and sexual trauma was associated with screening their female patients for trauma. METHODS: We conducted an online survey of clinicians at a single academic institution. Self-reported screening of female patients was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale and scored 1 (never) to 5 (always). Separate validated tools were used to assess physical and sexual trauma. Descriptive and univariate statistics were performed. RESULTS: Among 134 participants, 83% were female, median was age 39.5 (interquartile range [IQR] 32-50). The majority were white (78.4%) and were nurses (53.7%). Disciplines included Ob/Gyn (32.3%), Emergency Medicine (27.1%), Psychiatry (27.8%) and Primary Care (12.8%). The median (IQR) screening score was 3.9 (3.3-4.3). Overall, 88.7% of clinicians reported personal experiences of sexual and/or physical trauma. There were no significant differences in screening scores between any trauma (3.9, [3.3-4.3]) vs no trauma (4.1 [3.5-4.4], P=.42). Greater number of years in practice was associated with higher screening scores (P=.03), but having a departmental policy was not (P=.63). Scores were significantly higher in Ob/Gyn (4.2 [3.7-4.4]) vs Emergency Medicine (3.56 [3.3-3.9], P=.007) and Primary Care (3.6 [3.1-3.8] P=.01). There were no differences between nurses and physicians (P=.50). CONCLUSION: Screening scores were high among our clinician cohort and a personal experience of trauma was not associated with screening. Successful strategies in Ob/Gyn should be further explored and disseminated to other specialties.