Health sciences librarians, patient contact, and secondary traumatic stress

Abstract

Library and employee assistance program managers should be aware of the emotional toll of patient and/or family contact for HSLs.

Advancing science and practice for vicarious traumatization/secondary traumatic stress: A research agenda.

“…Individual studies focusing on the impacts of vicarious trauma among other related professional and/or volunteer groups, listed in order of publication year, include: Kiyimba and O’Reilly (2016) for qualitative transcriptionists; Coleman, Delahanty, Schwartz, Murani, and Brondolo (2016) for medical examiner office employees; Becker and McCrillis (2015) for health sciences librarians; Lusk and Terrazas (2015) for para-professionals working with refugees; Mehus and Becher (2016) for spoken-language interpreters; Ewer, Teesson, Sannibale, Roche, and Mills (2015) for alcohol and other drug workers in Australia; Dasan, Gohil, Cornelius, and Taylor (2015) among emergency medical consultants; Fisackerly, Sira, Desai, and McCammon (2016) among certified child life specialists; Mishori, Mujawar, and Ravi (2014) for asylum evaluators; Johnson, Bertschinger, Snell, and Wilson (2014) for military psychologists; Furlonger, and Taylor (2013) for telephone and online counselors, Želeskov-Ðorić, Hedrih, and Ðorić (2012) for psychotherapists; Levin et al (2011) for attorneys and their administrative support staff; Negash and Sahin (2011) for marriage and family therapists; Robertson, Davies, and Nettleingham (2009) for jurors; and Figley and Roop (2006) for animal caregivers.…”

The Lived Experience and Training Needs of Librarians Serving at the Clinical Point-of-Care

“…9 Comparison of scores of professionals with similar levels of patient contact, such as social workers, yielded analogous results. Despite the lack of additional qualitative investigation, Becker and McCrillis’ study demonstrates that clinical librarians experience significant emotional stress due to involvement in direct patient care.…”

Secondary traumatization and compassion fatigue.

“…Trauma curriculum students and teachers have been affected adversely, reporting a variety of negative physical and psychological reactions (Fucci, 2008;Lucas, 2008). Becker and McCrillis (2015) reported moderate levels of STS in a sample of health sciences librarians in direct contact with individuals and their families who had experienced trauma. Ludick (2006) found that as much as 43% of a sample of short-term insurance claims workers, a purely administrative group of employees, expressed disturbing levels of STS.…”