Human Trafficking 3: Intervention And Therapy

Abstract

Emergency department (ED) physicians must familiarize themselves with all mandatory reporting laws that apply to those whom they suspect of being the victims of human trafficking. Furthermore, ED physicians must be aware of when to require a forensic evaluation and when to enlist social services to help with the process of documentation, keeping in mind the medical, legal, and safety considerations of the patient. Subspecialty consultation should proceed in accordance with typical practice. Following the identification of a trafficked patient, a comprehensive interdisciplinary response should ensue: in addition to social workers, other hospital-based health professionals whose knowledge and skills may be needed include addiction service providers, child protection specialists, forensic and sexual assault nurse examiners, mental health providers, case managers, hospital legal counsel, and risk management specialists. Despite ED physician and related professional intervention, little is known regarding the outcomes of human trafficking. This review contains 1 figure, 3 tables and 13 references Key words: forensic evaluation, mandatory reporting laws, medical record documentation, neutral language, reported human trafficking, suspected human trafficking, trafficking in persons