Nurses’ attitude toward trauma-informed care in critical care units: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an innovative concept that recognizes the lasting impact of psychological trauma. Critical care nurses’ attitude toward TIC plays an essential role in assessing, monitoring, and addressing trauma experienced by patients. This study aimed to describe critical care nurses’ attitudes toward TIC in critical care units at Jordanian military hospitals. Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 315 critical care nurses at seven military hospitals (two from the north, three from the center, and two from the south) in 2022. The data collection tool was the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care-35 (ARTIC-35) scale. Multi-stage sampling approach was used to recruit critical care nurses. Statistical Package for Social Science (IBM-SPSS) V. 23 was used to analyze data. Results: In the sample of 315 nurses, gender was significantly associated with the reactions subscale (P=0.001). Also, there were statistical differences between nurses working in the emergency department and those working in intensive care units regarding the responses and behaviors subscales, with emergency department nurses scoring higher on the scale (P=0.003). Regarding in-service training in trauma-related care, the causes subscale was significantly different based on the number of training sessions with higher scores among nurses with higher training (P=0.02). Conclusion: Critical care nurses had an unfavorable attitude toward TIC. Health organizations, nurse managers, universities, and other stakeholders should collaborate to achieve a national strategy to raise awareness about TIC. Much research is needed to explore nurses’ attitudes toward TIC in diverse health sectors.