Trauma-informed approaches: Implications for practice, policy and research

Guest Editors

Sophie Isobel, RN, PhD, University of Sydney, Australia
Annie Lewis-O’Connor PhD, NP-BC, MPH, Brigham & Women's Hospital, USA
Candice N. Selwyn, PhD, University of South Alabama, USA

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 21 February 2025

BMC Health Services Research is calling for submissions to our Collection on Trauma-informed approaches: Implications for practice, policy and research. This Collection focuses on the impact of trauma-informed initiatives in healthcare settings, emphasizing the importance of addressing trauma in both patients and staff to foster safety, resilience, and healing. Topics include enhancing patient care and staff well-being, addressing diversity and inclusion, overcoming implementation challenges, providing training and professional development, navigating ethical considerations, and exploring future innovations in trauma-informed organizational development.

New Content Item This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth , and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

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Meet the Guest Editors

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Sophie Isobel, RN, PhD, University of Sydney, Australia

Dr Sophie Isobel is a Mental Health Nurse and Associate Professor at the University of Sydney. Much of Dr Isobel's research and practice has focused on the implementation of trauma informed care into public mental health services in Australia. In particular Dr Isobel has focused on critical perspectives on trauma informed care, qualitative methods, trauma informed interventions and tensions between trauma informed approaches and current models of healthcare systems.

Annie Lewis-O’Connor PhD, NP-BC, MPH, Brigham & Women's Hospital, USA

Dr Annie Lewis-O’Connor is a Pediatric and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. Dr Lewis-O’Connor is the Founder and Director of the C.A.R.E Clinic (Coordinated Approach to Resilience & Empowerment) at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she also is the Director of Research & Innovation for the Center of Nursing Excellence and is an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. Dr Lewis-O’Connor is a Transformative Leader who embraces diversity, foster relationships, and inspires and motivates staff, colleagues and peers. Dr Lewis-O’Connor addresses trauma and violence from four pillars: Research, Policy, Education, and Clinical practice. Annie is a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar alumna where she focused on Health Equity and integration of Trauma-Informed Care into an adult health care setting. Since 2012 Annie has served as Co-Chair of the MGB/BWH Trauma-Informed Care Initiative.

Candice N. Selwyn, PhD, University of South Alabama, USA

Dr Candice Selwyn is a Research Assistant Professor at the University of South Alabama College of Nursing and possesses a PhD in Clinical-Counseling Psychology, with a specialization in trauma-informed healthcare. Dr Selwyn presently leads a university-based trauma-informed sexual assault prevention and response program and teaches graduate courses focused on trauma-informed and equitable healthcare. Dr Selwyn's research interests focus on conditions that are over-represented among women, including risk for and recovery from gender-based violence and interpersonal trauma. Her current work addresses the ways in which healthcare delivery can minimize or potentiate impacts of interpersonal trauma on women's health.

About the Collection

BMC Health Services Research is calling for submissions to our Collection on Trauma-informed approaches: Implications for practice, policy and research.

Trauma-informed approach mark a pivotal evolution in organizational development by recognizing the pervasive impact of trauma on individuals within healthcare organizations. These initiatives involve implementing practices sensitive to the trauma experiences of both patients and healthcare staff, such as adopting patient-centered care approaches, trauma-specific interventions, and staff training on trauma sensitivity. This collection aims to examine the crucial role of trauma-informed initiatives in fostering safety, resilience, and healing within healthcare settings, with a focus on addressing the unique needs and experiences of both patients and staff members. Additionally, it addresses how routine healthcare procedures can inadvertently retraumatize both patients and staff, underscoring the necessity for trauma-sensitive approaches to mitigate harm and promote holistic well-being for all stakeholders involved.

This collection invites original research articles, study protocols, systematic and scoping reviews that explore and highlight the transformative impact of trauma-informed organizational change programs. We are particularly interested in the following research areas:

Theoretical frameworks and models of trauma-informed organizational change within healthcare settings
Reports of successful implementation of trauma-informed practices in various healthcare organizations
The role of healthcare leadership in driving and sustaining trauma-informed organizational change
Strategies for integrating trauma-informed approaches into existing healthcare organizational structures and processes to enhance patient care and staff well-being
Measurement and evaluation of the effectiveness of trauma-informed organizational change programs in improving patient outcomes and staff satisfaction
Addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion within trauma-informed healthcare organizational change efforts
Challenges and barriers to implementing trauma-informed practices in different healthcare specialties or sectors
Training and professional development for healthcare staff and leaders in trauma-informed approaches to patient care
Ethical considerations and dilemmas in trauma-informed organizational change initiatives within healthcare settings
Future directions and innovations in trauma-informed organizational development research and practice within healthcare contexts.

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth , and SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Trauma-informed approaches: Implications for practice, policy and research" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.