Trauma-informed palliative care for humanitarian crises

Abstract

Healthcare triage during humanitarian crises requires attention to saving lives and prevention of suffering at end of life. The prevalence of life-threatening experiences during humanitarian crises needs a trauma-informed palliative care approach, attending to the trauma-related psychosocial needs of patients, caregivers, and health care providers to support healing. This commentary includes research and practice literature that builds on and complements themes from an International Psychosocial Oncology Society Palliative Care Special Interest Group initiative. During humanitarian crises, palliative care experts contribute to mobilizing and training host country health care providers and volunteers who reciprocally promote cultural sensitivity for patients and their caregivers in all aspects of death and dying. Future directions require assessing how best to integrate trauma-informed principles into early and later responses to humanitarian crises. Culturally sensitive research partnerships with patients and caregivers must account for hierarchy and flexibility in research design and knowledge construction.