Department of Family and Community Medicine, Office of Community Engagement and Neighborhood Health Partnerships, University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System, Chicago, Ill; Center for the Collaborative Study of Trauma, Health Equity, and Neurobiology, an educational program of the Hektoen Institute of Medicine, Chicago, Ill. ajstille@uic.edu
The author reported no potential conflict of interest relevant to this article.
Single-question screener. A Chicago internist interviewed more than 500 patients using a single-question screener that asked whether growing up was “mostly okay or pretty difficult.” This tool accurately confirmed childhood adversity in patients with complex chronic illness, prevented re-traumatization by allowing patients control over disclosure, and opened the door to collaborative healing work over time.30
The Hague Protocol, now mandated in the Netherlands for health and justice professionals, focuses its efforts upstream by offering early detection of children at risk for adverse experiences. The protocol requires asking adults who present with intimate partner violence, suicidality, psychiatric disturbance, or severe substance abuse whether they care for children in any capacity. Those who are so identified are referred to a center at which support services are offered.31
Toxic stress impairs and sensitizes the stress response system, causes neuroinflammation and systemic inflammation, and leads to chronic illness, disability, and early death.
Uncertainty about the utility of existing tools. Many screening tools appear to be promising in terms of identification of the risk for, or actual, childhood adversity, patient and provider satisfaction, and their “fit” in the clinical workflow. Even so, no best practice guidelines exist in primary care to steer screening efforts. Questions remain about27-29:
broad implementation of a specific tool
how, when, and where screening should take place
whether to screen adults, parents, or children—or all 3
how best to use the content and pacing of screening questions to promote self-regulation and prevent re-traumatization
best strategies for training and supporting health care workers around screening activities
how to optimally manage a positive screen.
How best to approach treatment
Treatment includes trauma-informed care, an organizational transformation process (described in TABLE 232; in “The lexicon of childhood adversity: Concepts and tools for care”33-45; and in the subsection, “Lessons from neuroscience”), and individual treatment strategies. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the US Department of Health and Human Services is advocating for implementation of trauma-informed approaches in health systems.
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