Human Trafficking and HIPAA: What the Health Care Professional Needs to Know

The Need for a Mandatory Sex Trafficking Component in Physician Assistant Education

PURPOSE

Examine the possible deficit of education, training, and confidence among physician assistants (PAs) for assisting patients who have been victims of sex trafficking and determine if there is support for a nationwide mandatory sex trafficking component in the PA curriculum.

METHODS

This quantitative study examined 184 United States PAs' predictors of confidence in assisting victims of trafficking using a modified PROTECT survey and used bivariable logistic regression to analyze data.

RESULTS

This study identified a significant association between confidence in assisting in the care of sex trafficking patients and a nationwide curriculum requirement (OR = 5.389, p = .016) and past training (OR = .096, p = .000).

CONCLUSION

Due to the majority of PAs not having the confidence or past training to assist in the care of patients who have been victims of sex trafficking, this study supports the need for a curriculum requirement dedicated to this topic in US PA programs.

Human Trafficking of Children: Nurse Practitioner Knowledge, Beliefs, and Experience Supporting the Development of a Practice Guideline: Part One

INTRODUCTION

Up to 87% of trafficking victims encounter a health care provider while being trafficked but are not recognized as victims. Most health care providers receive little or no training, and awareness remains low. To describe the knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes of pediatric advanced practice registered nurses about human trafficking.

METHOD

A survey of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners membership (n = 8,647) before the intervention measured knowledge, beliefs, and experience regarding child trafficking. An awareness campaign was implemented with continuing education, national media presence, Train the Trainer programs, and creation of a nonprofit organization to direct strategic initiatives.

RESULTS

Overall, 799 (9%) NAPNAP members completed the survey. Although 87% believed it possible that they might encounter a victim of trafficking in their practice, 35% were unsure if they had provided care for a victim. Only 24% reported confidence in their ability to identify a child at risk for trafficking.

DISCUSSION

These survey findings indicate the need for clinical practice guidelines to identify potential and actual victims of human trafficking. Pediatric advanced practice registered nurses are ideally equipped and situated to intervene on behalf of vulnerable children with health disparities in a myriad of care settings, advocating for prevention and optimization of equitable health outcomes.