The Need to Consider Requiring Trauma Training in Entry-Level Academic Training Programs in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

The COVID-19 pandemic and heightened awareness of racial injustice and discrimination in the United States are likely to have a negative impact on mental health. This is concerning, given the already alarming prevalence rates of trauma exposure and adverse childhood experiences in the U.S. general population prior to the current pandemic, their immediate and long-lasting effects on human development across the life span, and their documented effects on adult chronic health conditions. For clinical mental health counselors (CMHCs) to respond effectively to the needs of the U.S. general population, entry-level counseling programs must provide comprehensive trauma training and education. The purpose of this article is to provide information about clinical competencies and relevant training requirements for CMHCs in trauma prevention and treatment to highlight the need to require comprehensive trauma training in entry-level academic training programs for CMHCs through relevant research and policy.

Trauma education and training for healthcare providers: a scoping review

Background: Every six seconds, someone in the world dies because of injury. Trauma is a major public health problem and leads to significant mortality and morbidity worldwide. Healthcare provider training can affect patient outcomes; therefore, it is useful to examine the efficacy of trauma training programmes. This scoping review aimed to determine the impact of trauma training or education on healthcare providers' confidence. Method: Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid Emcare, CINAHL, Scopus, Google Scholar and Trove were systematically searched on 7 August 2021, and a methodology adopted to ensure the scoping review was comprehensive. Results: A total of 749 articles were retrieved, of which 15 were eligible for the scoping review. After the articles were analysed, two themes—knowledge and experience—were identified. Knowledge improved from attending courses. However, knowledge retention fell over time. Participants reported that their confidence improved after attending courses, but an inverted correlation was observed between experience and knowledge. Conclusion: Trauma training courses improve the confidence of healthcare providers. However, these courses should be conducted regularly and trainees observed to assess their confidence. Further studies should be conducted to evaluate the effect of these courses on practitioner confidence.

Trauma care training in Vietnam: A narrative scoping review (Preprint)

BACKGROUND - OBJECTIVE To establish if medical training in Vietnam has adapted to a new disease pattern emerging in a developing country economy, that of road trauma. METHODS A review of Vietnamese medical schools, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Education and Training literature on trauma education. RESULTS The trauma training component in medical education in Vietnam has been improving but is patchy and inconsistent across the health sector. As the medical education system was appropriately initially oriented to a generalist community base, trauma training at an undergraduate level was minimal and less than 5% of total credit. At the post-graduate level, only two major specialties (surgery and anaesthesia) figures have a significant and increasing trauma training component ranging from 8% to 22% in academic and clinical training pathways. A new national examination is on the way to improve curricula and standards at an undergraduate level, post-graduate short courses like Basic Trauma Life Support-BLS, Primary Trauma Care-PTC are seen as a reasonable solution to address current Vietnamese medical education system deficiencies in trauma training. CONCLUSIONS Although efforts have been made to reform the medical training program in Vietnam, it would take quite a long time to reach the complete transformation. In the interim, the implementation of short courses such as BLS, PTC should be considered as the appropriate method to compensate for the insufficient competency-related trauma care among healthcare workers outside of trauma specialist training.

Design and Development of an Interactive Web-Based Simulator for Trauma Training: A Pilot Study

Trauma is the leading cause of death in people under 45 years old and one of the leading causes of death in the world. Therefore, specific trauma training during medical school as well as after it is crucial. Web-based learning is an important tool in education, offering the possibility to create realistic trauma scenarios. A web-based simulator has been developed and a pilot study has been accomplished to trial the simulator. A pelvic trauma scenario was created and 41 simulations were performed, 28 by medical students and 13 by doctors. The data analyzed are the actions taken to treat the trauma patient, the evolution of the vital signs of the patient, the timing spent on deciding which action to take, when each action was performed and the consequence that it had on the patient. Moreover, a post-simulation questionnaire was completed related to the usability of the simulator. The clinical treatment performance of doctors is better than the performance of medical students performing more actions correctly and in the right sequence as per ATLS recommendations. Moreover, significant differences are obtained in the time response provided to the patients which is key in trauma. With respect to the usability of the tool, responses provide a positive usability rating. In conclusion, this pilot study has demonstrated that the web-based training developed can be used to train and evaluate trauma management. Moreover, this research has highlighted a different approach to trauma treatment between medical students and doctors.

Developing an Online Psychological Trauma Education Course for College Students

Introduction: Individuals in various career fields will interact with people who have experienced trauma while engaging in their work responsibilities, and many have limited, if any, trauma training. Therefore, there is a need to provide trauma training within undergraduate degree programs. Statement of Problem: Online learning is a viable method of meeting the need for psychological trauma education for undergraduate students. Literature Review: Education in the United States has steadily moved toward more online formats, with many students preferring the flexibility of an online course. We discuss the literature on teaching about trauma and considerations for teaching the course online. Teaching Implications: We outline components of an online undergraduate trauma education course focused on teaching students about psychological trauma. This includes presenting the course objectives, describing course assignments, and discussing considerations for the course which instructors can use in teaching about trauma. Conclusion: Instructors of higher education can use the activities and considerations discussed in this article as a guide in the development of an online trauma education course.

Trauma Training Courses and Programs in Low- and Lower Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review

Background Injury is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in low- and lower middle-income countries (LMICs). Trauma training is a cost-effective way to improve injury outcomes. Several trauma programs have been implemented in LMICs; however, their scope and effectiveness remain unclear. In this review, we sought to describe and assess the current state of trauma training in LMICs. Methods We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health, Cochrane Library, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global for trauma training courses in LMICs. An additional gray literature search was conducted on university, governmental, and non- governmental organizations’ websites to identify trauma-related postgraduate medical education (PGME) opportunities. Results Most studies occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and participants were primarily physicians/surgeons, medical students/residents, and nurses. General and surgical trauma management courses were most common, followed by orthopedic trauma or plastic surgery trauma/burn care courses. 32/45 studies reported on participant knowledge and skills, 27 of which had minimal follow-up. Of the four studies commenting on cost of courses, only one demonstrated cost-effectiveness. Three articles evaluated post-course effects on patient outcomes, two of which failed to demonstrate significant improvements. Overall, 43.0% of LMICs have PGME programs with defined trauma competency requirements. Conclusions Current studies on trauma training in LMICs do not clearly demonstrate sustainability, cost-effectiveness, nor improved outcomes. Trauma training programs should be in response to a need, championed locally, and work within a cohesive system to demonstrate concrete benefits. We recommend standardized and contextualized trauma training with recertifications in LMICs for lasting and improved trauma care.