All healthcare staff should read new book 'Trauma-Informed Health Care', says physio Chris Tuckett

Relevance to practice

Having a background in physical health, I approached this book somewhat tentatively. I did not expect to find the content as relevant to my practice and leadership role as it quickly became.

The topic of trauma-informed health care might sound like something that’s mainly applicable to the mental health field, but, after reading this book, I would urge all health care colleagues – from all specialities and professions – to consider the merits of the approach. We learn, for example, that up to 90 per cent of the population has experienced at least one traumatic episode in their lives, with as many as two people in three living through an adverse childhood experience that could be deemed traumatic. This information alone should be enough to persuade all potential readers about the book’s inherent value to the broad provision of health care.

If, however, more motivation is needed, I should note that the content is intensely practical with many case study examples – some involving physiotherapy interventions – multiple models and mind-map style illustrations that help the reader to retain and apply the learning, plus copious references providing reassuringly scientific evidence.

Trauma is very widespread

Among many takeaways from the book, the big one for me was the realisation that any healthcare professional who is not practising trauma-informed care will be hampered in their ability to help patients. This may appear to be a presumptive and sweeping statement, but once you appreciate how widespread the experience of trauma is, how deeply and significantly it manifests in peoples’ lives and how directly (and indirectly) it impacts a person’s health and their ability to engage with healthcare, I think it’s accurate.

All healthcare staff should read this book, it’s a powerful tool to develop one’s awareness of trauma-informed care and its applicability is far-reaching

The range of traumas people can experience is vast and the book offers many case studies that provoked personal memories of former patients. Patients with whom, had I explored and been more sensitive to their individual traumas, I may have connected with more empathetically and achieved better outcomes.

Aside from the individual applicability of this book to the lone practitioner, this book also helps readers to recognising trauma in teams, communities and organisations at scale. As such, this book will deliver impact for those leaders who may lead or work in any of these group structures. From an NHS perspective, I immediately felt it had relevance to our system-wide ambitions to reduce health inequalities, which are a form of trauma.

We know that certain communities have experienced historic injustices when trying to access health care or during episodes of care, and this book reminds us that health care can help people with trauma but also has the capacity to inflict trauma too. This is an issue that we all need to be much more acutely aware about when going about our day-to-day practice, I believe.

The content is intensely practical with many case study examples – some involving physiotherapy interventions – multiple models and mind-map style illustrations that help the reader to retain and apply the learning ...

From an organisational perspective the NHS cold learn to treat its staff better by adopting a trauma-informed approach. Whether it’s resourcing constraints that result in an inability to deliver optimal care and moral injury, or inequitable rates of employee disciplinaries for certain groups, or staff exposure to violence and assault, staff in the NHS are always moments away from possible trauma.

Communication is key

The NHS needs to be better at looking after its staff and viewing them as its most valuable resource. The ‘wellbeing’ offers of many organisations are still too reactive and take a ‘sticking plaster’ approach to the post-trauma period. An NHS that can truly change and become trauma-informed will be proactive, sensitive to past and potential future traumas and offer staff the resources, space and access to clinical services they need to recover and heal.

The golden thread that seems to tie all this together is the improving communication at every level and between all people and groups. Subtle shifts in intonation, the choice of words or the media and means used to communicate can all be trauma inducing or re-traumatising if not chosen purposefully and carefully. And communication is at the heart of all healthcare interventions, and so we had better learn how to do it in a trauma-informed way.

Dr Treisman is a clinical psychologist. Her book is accessibly written, with plenty of informative illustrations and is well evidenced throughout. All healthcare staff should read this book, it’s a powerful tool to develop one’s awareness of trauma-informed care and its applicability is far-reaching.

Chris Tuckett is a director of allied health professions and a physiotherapist at an NHS trust

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To read Chris’s review of Concussed: Sport’s Uncomfortable Truth, click