Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

About 9.2% of the Canadian population has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Persons dealing with a major medical event such as a brain injury or stroke may be at even higher risk for experiencing trauma. For example, medical PTSD following a stroke can be as high as 23% in the first year post-illness, and can have serious consequences on stroke-related disability and quality of life. Additionally, adults who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as abuse and neglect are known to be at increased risk of medical illnesses such as heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. If not asked about directly, trauma can go undiagnosed and significantly interfere with treatments. Many providers are afraid to ask about trauma for fear of retraumatizing clients and being unsure how to provide follow-up care and support. Trauma-informed practice (TIP) refers to a set of principles and practices that acknowledges that (1) exposure to traumatic events is common, (2) such exposures can affect ways in which individuals think, feel, and act, and (3) that environments that are meant to heal can often unknowingly retraumatize such individuals. When an environment is "trauma-informed", patients can feel welcome and included even when trauma is not being treated directly. While TIP has gained traction in various sectors of healthcare such as primary care and mental health, there is limited evidence to indicate its systematic implementation in the rehabilitation context. The current project will convene a team of rehabilitation professionals representing the outpatient neurorehabilitation team at our local hospital, led by a researcher and clinician who is both a rehabilitation professional and trauma specialist. The goal of the project is to develop a consensus statement on what TIP would look like in the rehabilitation context, and how it could be implemented and ultimately evaluated in terms of patient outcomes.