Health Professionals’ Experiences of Providing Trauma-Informed Care in Acute Psychiatric Inpatient Settings: A Scoping Review

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Background: Trauma-informed care is increasingly recognized as the ideal model of care for acute psychiatric inpatient units; however, it continues to be a challenge to implement. The aims of this review are (1) to synthesize the research exploring health professionals’ experiences of providing trauma-informed care in acute psychiatric inpatient settings and (2) to examine these experiences through a gender lens, particularly relating to gender-based violence. This research will provide additional insights to facilitate implementation of trauma-informed care in acute psychiatric inpatient care. Method: A comprehensive scoping review methodology was adopted. English-language, peer-reviewed articles published between January 1998 and March 2018 were identified from seven databases. Inclusion criteria included a qualitative or mixed-method study design. Results: Eight full-text articles were found. This review highlights the importance for health professionals to have a reflective environment and a multilayered level of collaboration to adopt trauma-informed care. However, negative attitudes toward female consumers and inconsistent implementation strategies continue to hold back implementation of trauma-informed care in acute psychiatric inpatient units. Overall, limited consideration for gendered issues and gender-based violence in the implementation of trauma-informed care in acute psychiatric inpatient settings was found. Conclusion and Implications: There is a lack of research on health professionals’ experiences of providing trauma-informed care in acute psychiatric inpatient units, with even less research considerating gender-based violence. We argue that more research is needed to gain a better understanding of the experience of health professionals from acute psychiatric inpatient settings to inform future implementation of trauma-informed care.