A Human Trafficking Educational Program and Point-of-Care Reference Tool for Pediatric Residents

Abstract

Introduction: Trafficked youth experience complex health issues such as substance abuse, severe physical trauma, and sexual health problems, with many entering trafficking between 15 and 17 years old. There is increasing awareness of the need to educate pediatric health care providers on identifying and aiding trafficked children; however, critical gaps in the literature exist regarding educational sessions specific to the human trafficking of pediatric patients. Our objective was to implement and evaluate a survivor-informed educational session for pediatric resident physicians to improve identification of and assistance to trafficked youth in the clinical setting. Methods: We designed an educational session on human trafficking, which included a 60-minute interactive didactic presentation and distribution of a point-of-care reference tool, in collaboration with a survivor of human trafficking, for 59 pediatric trainees in 2019. We utilized pre/post knowledge assessments. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and Fisher exact analysis. Results: Of 99 total eligible residents, 59 (59%) participated. Statistically significant increases in correct identification of hypothetical trafficked youth and next steps for intervention were observed. Over 80% of participants reported comfort with defining, recognizing, referring to, and understanding health consequences of human trafficking on the postassessment, compared to 25% on the preassessment (p < .001). Discussion: Our educational session resulted in statistically significant increased comfort in identification of human trafficking victims and can be replicated at other institutions. The point-of-care reference tool-which can be adapted for use in different settings-can guide pediatric residents in managing suspected trafficked youth in the clinical setting.

Human Trafficking ICD-10 Code Utilization in Pediatric Tertiary Care Centers Within the United States

“…A recent case series of trafficked pediatric patients admitted to the intensive care unit concluded the severity of their illness was potentially exacerbated due to poor access to medical care (23). Provider bias and the elusive nature of human trafficking emphasize that a high index of suspicion should be maintained for identification of trafficking, indicating the need for universal education and training (7,9). Confidentiality concerns for trafficked children likely contributes to low documentation and low diagnosis code utilization.…”

“…Trafficked individuals experience a broad range of health consequences-including physical trauma, malnutrition, communicable disease, and mental health disorders-and most trafficked individuals have interfaced with the healthcare system during their exploitation (1,(6)(7)(8). Therefore, health care providers play a vital role in identifying and aiding trafficked children (1,(7)(8)(9)(10).…”

Development of a New Resident-Centric Sex Trafficking Education Program for Obstetrics/Gynecology, Emergency Medicine, and Family Medicine Programs

“… 8 Most commonly, studies evaluating these education interventions focus on emergency department and pediatric healthcare professionals as a targeted sample and leave out other specialties, such as obstetricians/gynecologists, who may more commonly interact with trafficked individuals. 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 In addition, residents in any specialty should be able to confidently recognize the signs of sex trafficking and provide the necessary support to trafficked individuals and survivors. This study provides an example of a sex-trafficking education program for OBGYN, EM, and FM residents with an aim to increase residents’ knowledge and confidence when caring for trafficked individuals and survivors.…”