Hello,
My name is Linda and I am a nurse in Colorado who works in high-acute traumatic brain injury rehab with special interest in mental health and substance use issues. I am also involved in research related to trauma and resilience.
Our research team (at the University of Colorado College of Nursing) has been collecting data using a novel PACES assessment written by Laurie Leitch, PhD, within a grant-funded MOUD/MAT treatment program in rural Colorado. I currently have a robust sample size (n = 1650) with more data rolling in monthly. This PACES questionnaire was written in a fashion to maintain balance between activating and calming questions, so our data collection used the questionnaire exactly how it was written by Dr. Leitch. The first round of data collection was used in a manuscript (nearing readiness for publication) that showed strong correlations with resilience factors and retention in the treatment program.
My goal is to validate PACES as an assessment/intervention tool, to ultimately replace the ACE tool.
Much of the data analysis is completed, and the reliability of this PACES questionnaire is the same as the ACE tool, so the research is promising thus far. In the literature review, I will provide an overview of ACE tool and state the case why PACES is a better alternative.
I am asking this community for help honing-in on previous research that supports how ACE assessments may:
1. Re-traumatize our patients
2. Expose clinicians to secondary trauma
3. Lead to lower rates of trauma assessment, and thus less trauma-informed care, due to the aforementioned barriers
Community, can you help assure that I leave no stone unturned in this lit review? Please help me by posting links to your favorite literature (quantitative and qualitative) that demonstrates why a neuro-balanced PACES questionnaire should replace ACEs. In addition to this research, I work full-time as a bedside nurse, so I have less time on my hands than is desirable. I appreciate any assistance that this community may provide.
Warm Regards,
Linda Driscoll Powers, BSN-RN