My grant proposal focuses on educating obstetricians and gynecologists about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma-informed care. Obstetricians and gynecologists (OB/GYN) lack clarity on identifying and addressing patients’ trauma symptoms and experiences (Nagle-Yang et al., 2022). Physicians using trauma-informed care during patient examinations can help promote mental health in patients and prevent re-traumatization in some (Hall et al., 2021). This program will host biweekly meetings that will teach OB/GYNs about ACEs and trauma-informed care during patient examinations. OB/GYNs will also be given the chance to practice their new skills through clinical simulations provided by the program. Our target population is OB/GYNs working in women's clinics located in Alachua County, FL. The program will be run by a multidisciplinary staff made up of public health officials, and OB/GYN, and victim advocates. All staff members are qualified and experts in ACEs and trauma-informed care. The program's components will address the organizational level of the Mcleroy Social Ecological model (SEM). The program is trying to make changes at the organizational level by educating and informing physicians about ACEs and trauma-informed care. Through educating OB/GYNs about ACEs and trauma-informed care, the structure or operations of women's clinics in Alachua County, FL will change. The program will also address the primary and secondary prevention levels of the public health frame work. The program is taking a systems-level approach by educating OB/GYNs about ACEs and trauma-informed care to make women's clinics a healthier and safer environment. If our program can educate OB/GYNs about ACEs and trauma-informed care, those physicians can take measures to make sure their patients do not experience ACEs or trauma. Since our program is educating OB/GYNs about ACEs screenings, the secondary prevention level will addressed as well. Through screenings our trained OB/GYNs will be able to reach patients who have been affected by ACEs or trauma. This grant proposal will also be using the trauma informed principles of safety, trustworthiness & transparency, and collaboration & mutuality. Through these principles OB/GYNs will learn how to create a comfortable and safe environment for patients, establish strong and trustful relationships with patients, and educate and collaborate with other staff members about ACEs and trauma-informed care. The learned knowledge and skills OB/GYNs takeaway from the program will help keep the program sustainable.
References:
Hall, S., White, A., Ballas, J., Saxton, S. N., Dempsey, A., & Saxer, K. (2021). Education in trauma-informed care in maternity settings can promote mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 50(3), 340–351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogn.2020.12.005
Nagle-Yang, S., Sachdeva, J., Zhao, L. X., Shenai, N., Shirvani, N., Worley, L. L. M., Gopalan, P., Albertini, E. S., Spada, M., Mittal, L., Moore Simas, T. A., & Byatt, N. (2022). Trauma-informed care for obstetric and gynecologic settings. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 26(12), 2362–2369. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-022-03518-y
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