Trauma is a condition that causes one in various aspects ranging from physical, emotional, and psychological. In the nursing profession, the trauma concept does not only encompass patients’ experiences but entails professionals as well. Secondary trauma, also known as tingly-vicarious or traumatic fear fatigue, is an emotional and psychological illness of those who learn about such an event that has once occurred in a patient’s body. An aspect that is crucial to nursing includes Secondary Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care, which ensures the safety of individuals, never mind patients and nurses, and their welfare through affected benefits secondary trauma should be acknowledged because it can significantly impact the mental well-being and work satisfaction of caregivers The professionals exposed to constant traumatic scenarios daily are likely to manifest symptoms including anxiety depression, emotional exhaustion as well loss of empathy in patients (Ogińska-Bulik et al., 2021). Secondly, unresolved secondary trauma results in burnout that comes with poor quality of patient care and higher turnover rates among the providers.
In order to overcome secondary trauma among healthcare professionals, at least preventive and supportive interventions should be offered. Secondary trauma programs teach knowledge that is embedded in secondary trauma in institution nurses and other health care providers with various coping techniques coupled with mental self-care. They are creating an environment where open communication, interpersonal support, and opportunities for mental wellness are encouraged. Nevertheless, debriefing sessions and supervision can also create a safe way for the healthcare staff to deal with their feelings.
Trauma-informed care addresses the presence of trauma and its impact on a person’s life as well, and it is an approach that promotes the establishment of a therapeutic atmosphere. It is interpreting a patient’s behavior and reaction through a trauma lens, and it provides empathy and respect for empowerment (Guevara et al., 2021). Trauma-informed care emphasizes the above attitudes, for which healthcare providers need to focus on safety, reliability, collaboration, and autonomy in order to get patients’ confidence.
The provision of trauma-informed care has excellent value because it assists in improving patient outcomes and establishing a therapeutic relationship between patients and healthcare professionals. Under trauma-informed care, boundaries are established in which patients will feel safe and validated to enjoy their traumatic events or at least access help. Besides, it is effective in preventing re-traumatization by reinforcing resilience under restored control that patients feel capable of returning to their lives.
Being a healthcare practitioner on my own, I have been able to learn about the secondary trauma that can afflict other colleagues, resulting in providing primary environmental support for victims of disasters. Secondly, I have also seen career areas that are dedicated to work get burned out due to looking at how many traumatic events take place. These experiences have supported the legitimacy of treating secondary trauma and practicing some other elements related to trauma-informed care that enable wellness on both parts, health professionals as well as their patients.
In conclusion, secondary trauma is a massive issue within healthcare practice and negatively affects damaged therapeutic caregivers’ health. It is essential to take note of the secondary trauma mitigation and implement trauma-informed-care practices that are meant to maintain healthiness among providers while also empowering participants through resilience. Sensitizing healthcare organizations regarding the need to prioritize strategically designed interventions that seek to minimize and prevent secondary trauma could result in the creation of healing, compassionate atmospheres.
Ogińska-Bulik, N., Gurowiec, P. J., Michalska, P., & Kędra, E. (2021). Prevalence and predictors of secondary traumatic stress symptoms in health care professionals working with trauma victims: A cross-sectional study. PloS one, 16(2), e0247596. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0247596
Guevara, A. M. M., Johnson, S. L., Elam, K., Rivas, T., Berendzen, H., & Gal-Szabo, D. E. (2021). What Does it Mean to be Trauma-Informed? A Multi-System Perspective from Practitioners Serving the Community. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 30, 2860-2876. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10826-021-02094-z