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Improving attitudes toward trauma-informed care in the neonatal intensive care unit through comprehensive multi-disciplinary education

Journal of Perinatology (2024)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective

This study measured staff understanding and integration of trauma-informed care following comprehensive education.

Study design

This mixed method design used the validated Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC) scale and open-ended survey questions via REDCap optional surveys. Trauma-informed care education was made available to staff members in a level IV NICU. Pre- and post-intervention ARTIC scores were compared and post-intervention REDCap surveys were analyzed.

Result

There were 245 multi-disciplinary NICU team members who completed the ARTIC survey before and/or after the educational intervention; and 764 REDCap surveys were completed throughout the study time. ARTIC scores increased from pre- to post-training both for participants with data at both time points (0.5 SD mean increase) and among those with data at only one time point (0.4 SD mean increase). Content analysis of the REDCap survey corroborated the ARTIC results.

Conclusion

System-wide trauma-informed education can achieve measurable effect in a NICU setting.

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Data availability

The majority of datasets generated and analyzed during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files]. The complete brainstorming dataset generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge assistance from study team Clinical Investigators, Grace Asaad, RN, Shelbi Polasik, MT, and Liesel Stephens, MT, who served as scientific advisors by coding and analyzing study participant responses for qualitative data interpretation. We particularly appreciate the assistance of the additional members of the Children’s Mercy Kansas City NICU Trauma-Informed Care workgroup, who served as Participating Investigators aiding in multi-disciplinary collaboration and data collection including Kaylee Hurt, Parent on Staff, Elisa Loughman, MD, Courtney Becker, RN, Becky Palmer, QI, Marni Scott, LCSW, Carissa Thompson, LCSW, Megan Cope, RN, John Lantos, MD, Brooke Ratliff, CLS, Erin Perez, LCSW, Nicole Hutcheson, DNP, Dianne Wilderson, MSN, and Mary Henley, CCRN. We especially valued the assistance of Chris Kennedy, MD, pediatric emergency medicine, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, in helping to create the on-line distribution of the ARTIC survey. The authors would also like to thank the members of the NICU healthcare team members who participated in our study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work, Children’s Mercy-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Patricia A. Davis

  2. Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Mercy-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Dena Hubbard, Tiffany Gladdis, Chris Nitkin, Jennifer Godwin & Brian S. Carter

  3. Department of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Dena Hubbard, Tiffany Gladdis, Chris Nitkin & Jennifer Godwin

  4. Division of Developmental and Behavioral Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Mercy-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Tiffany Gladdis

  5. Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Kara Hansen & Shilpa Babbar

  6. University of Kansas School of Nursing - Undergraduate Faculty, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Erin Keith-Chancy

  7. Biostatistics & Epidemiology Core, Children’s Mercy-Kansas City; School of Medicine, University of Missouri-at Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Vincent Staggs

  8. Statistical Consulting & Research, IDDI, Inc., Raleigh, NC, USA

    Vincent Staggs

  9. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Children’s Mercy-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Michelle Hardy & Jacqulin Ashbaugh

  10. Pediatric Bioethics Center, Children’s Mercy-Kansas City, Professor of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Brian S. Carter

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  1. Patricia A. Davis
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Contributions

Researchers Davis, Hubbard, Hansen, Nitkin, and Keith-Chancy conceptualized and designed the paper, drafted the initial manuscript, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. Investigator’s Staggs, Carter, Gladdis, Godwin, Ashbaugh, Hardy, and Babbar critically reviewed and revised the manuscript for important intellectual content and data interpretation. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patricia A. Davis.

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Davis, P.A., Hubbard, D., Gladdis, T. et al. Improving attitudes toward trauma-informed care in the neonatal intensive care unit through comprehensive multi-disciplinary education. J Perinatol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-024-01897-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-024-01897-4

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