A trauma-informed approach in Canadian mental health policies: A systematic mapping review

Optimising outcomes for complex trauma survivors: assessing the motivators, barriers and enablers for implementing trauma informed practice within a multidisciplinary health setting

“…This study confirms previous research in other health settings, including drug and alcohol, mental health, emergency medicine, and paediatric and trauma nursing [ 11 , 24 , 25 , 33 ]. Additionally, it supports findings from discipline specific studies in nursing, social work, medicine and midwifery [ 2 , 24 , 25 ]. In particular, as seen in studies in emergency medicine and paediatric nursing, participants across disciplines consistently spoke about their services’ existing capacity for TIP, in multiple service entry points, ensuring clients had choices, collaborative goal setting and treatment processes, with seamless referral pathways, and open and transparent communication [ 24 , 25 ].…”

“…Whilst this has not been explicitly highlighted in previous research on implementing TIP, it does align with the drive to use minimal resources, which was identified as a barrier in a number of TIP studies, particularly within the mental health and emergency medicine settings [ 11 , 25 ]. It also aligns with findings outside of the TIP research field, whereby the ways in which health systems are financed is frequently reported as a barrier across the healthcare setting [ 2 , 7 ]. This is particulary evident in regrds to providing accessible and appropriate prevention, treatment and recovery services for those who experience disadvantage, including complex trauma [ 35 , 36 ].…”

“…Complex trauma is a worldwide public health challenge, which leads to detrimental health, interpersonal and psychological impacts [ 1 , 2 ]. Complex trauma is often experienced as interpersonal violence, sexual assault or child abuse [ 3 ], the rates of which are alarmingly high, both in Australia and internationally [ 3 – 5 ].…”

“…This can be achieved through implementing Trauma Informed Practice (TIP), also known as Trauma Informed Care and Trauma Informed Service Delivery [ 13 ]. TIP is a safe, effective, cost efficient and evidence based model which is implemented universally into policy and practice across the health system [ 2 , 8 , 13 ]. TIP underlying principles are safety, trustworthiness, collaboration, empowerment, choice [ 8 , 14 ], and acknowledgement of cultural, historical and gender issues [ 15 ].…”

“…A clear message from previous research is that the successful implementation of TIP requires addressing systems barriers and building workforce motivation, knowledge and skills [ 26 ], with consideration of the context in which it is being implemented [ 19 ]. Despite the growing body of evidence supporting TIP implementation in Australia and internationally [ 2 , 7 , 20 ], the majority of TIP implementation studies within the healthcare sector have been discipline and/or departmentally specific, with a strong focus on mental health and drug and alcohol services. Evidence however is limited, within a multi-disciplinary, multi-service type, community health setting, which is outside of a mental health or drug and alcohol service context.…”