Training US health care professionals on human trafficking: where do we go from here?

Abstract

Some 21 million adults and children are labor-trafficked or sex-trafficked through force, fraud, or coercion. In recognition of the interface between trafficking victims and the healthcare setting, over the last 10 years there has been a notable increase in training of health care professionals (HCPs) on human trafficking (HT) and its health implications. Many organizations have developed curricula and offered training in various clinical settings. However, methods and content of this education on trafficking vary widely, and there is little evaluation of the impact of the training. The goal of this study was to assess the gaps and strengths in HT education of HCPs in the US. This mixed-method study had two components. The first component consisted of structured interviews with experts in human trafficking HCP education. The second portion of the study involved an analysis of data from HCP calls to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC). The interviews captured trainer-specific data on types of HT training, duration and frequency, key content areas, presence of evaluation approaches and indicators, as well as an assessment of barriers and strengths in HT training for HCP. NHTRC call database analysis demonstrated increasing trends since 2008 in calls by HCPs. Overall findings revealed the need for standardization of HT training content to assure correct information, trauma-informed and patient-centered care, and consistent messaging for HCPs. Evaluation metrics for HT training need to be developed to demonstrate behavior change and impact on service delivery and patient-centered outcomes for HT victims, according to our proposed adapted Kirkpatrick’s Pyramid model. HT training and evaluation would benefit from an agency or institution at the national level to provide consistency and standardization of HT training content as well as to guide a process that would develop metrics for evaluation and the building of an evidence base. Abbreviations: AAP: American Academy of Pediatrics; ACF: Administration for Children and Families; CME: Continuing medical education; ED: Emergency department; HCP: Health care professional; HEAL: Health, Education, Advocacy, and Linkage; HHS: United States Department of Health and Human Services; HT: Human trafficking; IOM: United States Institute of Medicine; MH: Mental health; NHTRC: National Human Trafficking Resource Center; SOAR: Stop, Observe, Ask, and Respond to Health and Wellness Training

Medical education and human trafficking: using simulation

“…Unfortunately, trafficked patients are often unidentified due to lack of education available to HCPs at all levels of training and practice [6,7]. A survey of medical professionals including physicians, nurses, social workers, and physician assistants found that 63% of respondents did not have training on human trafficking identification and intervention [8].…”

“…To improve victim identification and quality of care in healthcare settings, providers need to be educated about the issue of trafficking, including its clinical presentations. The topic requires an interactive format that maximizes HCP learning, hones communications skills, and focuses on patient-centered outcomes [7,9,10]. …”

Modern slavery in the UK: how should the health sector be responding?

“…Such innovations can inform emerging practice in the UK. All these interventions require careful design, application and evaluation (22).…”

A Theory‐based Didactic Offering Physicians a Method for Learning and Teaching Others About Human Trafficking

“…Currently available options for provider instruction on HT include multiday seminars, brief online courses, massive open online courses, guidelines, and published summaries for self‐directed learning . To our knowledge, there are no published “train‐the‐trainer” interventions focusing on EPs or providing instructional methods directed at teaching learners in the clinical environment.…”