Knowledge Base of Nurses Before and After a Human Trafficking Continuing Education Course

Evaluation of a Human Trafficking Educational Intervention for Nursing Professionals

BACKGROUND

Human trafficking (HT) is a serious public health issue. Survivors of HT seek medical care. Health care professionals may be inadequately trained to identify and support survivors. This study evaluated improvements in nurses' knowledge after a professional development workshop on HT.

METHOD

Pre- and postevaluation surveys assessed nurses' self-reported changes in perceived knowledge of HT and its vulnerability factors, the health impact of HT, strategies for identification and assessment of HT, and response to and follow-up of HT.

RESULTS

After the workshop, participants showed significant improvement in perceived knowledge of all measures, regardless of hours of previous training and years of practice.

CONCLUSION

Perceived knowledge of HT identification and response can be improved through training of nurses, regardless of hours of previous training and years of practice. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2024;55(1):26-32.].

Health care professionals' self-efficacy in identifying and treating human trafficking victims

BACKGROUND

Human trafficking is characterized as a violation of human rights that exploits males and females of any age for personal or financial gain. Recently, health care professionals have been identified as feasible change agents in this global issue. However, many health care professionals are not trained in identifying and treating human trafficking victims. Through human trafficking education, health care professionals have the potential to be better equipped to recognize and assist trafficking victims and guide them to the specialized care they need.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of a trauma-informed human trafficking education intervention and the impact of this training on the self-efficacy of health care professionals in identifying and recognizing human trafficking victims in healthcare settings.

DESIGN

The study was a quasi-experimental research design with snowball and convenience recruitment SETTING: 100 % virtual, online.

PARTICIPANTS

Health care professionals (N = 30) including Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Certified Medical Assistants, Certified Nursing Assistants, Emergency Medical Technicians, and Paramedics from a variety of healthcare settings.

METHODS

30 min total program to include Qualtrics pre-intervention Violence Against Women Health Care Provider survey, 20 min educational intervention on YouTube©, and an identical Qualtrics post-intervention survey.

RESULTS

Total of 30 sets of paired data. The results showed statistically significant improvement in self-efficacy in all survey questions pre- and post-human trafficking educational intervention (p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

An increase in health care professionals' self-efficacy in identifying and treating human trafficking victims yields better patient and health care system outcomes. Trauma-informed human trafficking education for all health care professionals is recommended.

Human Trafficking Education: An Asynchronous Approach to Improve Nurses' Knowledge and Application

Nurses as healthcare professionals are in key positions to identify trafficked persons. Assessment of nurse knowledge shows the benefit of using asynchronous human trafficking education as a means for learning. Recommendations from this study for professional development educators include garnishing nurse executive support and use of case-study, evidence-based approaches. Support for state-mandated human trafficking education requirements for initial and ongoing licensure of nurses is necessary as human trafficking knowledge may decrease over time.

Through the lens of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's (AACN) new Essentials: Integration of human trafficking education and simulation within baccalaureate nursing curricula

With an increase in human trafficking in the United States, there is a need for nursing curricula to provide education and engagement in recognizing and appropriately caring for victims. The purpose of this article is to describe an undergraduate nursing simulation involving a human trafficking victim with a discussion of how the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's (AACN) Essentials were addressed by the simulation. The results of the course evaluation indicated that providing an opportunity for baccalaureate nursing students to engage in a simulation involving a victim of human trafficking allowed them to solidify classroom theory and education. Students reported increased confidence in recognizing victims after participating in the education and simulation. In addition, the simulation met many of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing's new Essentials further highlighting the importance of this clinical activity within the nursing curriculum. Nursing education is obligated to empower students to identify social determinants of health and advocate for social justice related to vulnerable populations. Because nurses are the largest group of healthcare providers, they are likely to encounter human trafficking victims and should be educated to identify victims in practice.

Researching the Effectiveness of an Online Human Trafficking Awareness Program Among Community Health Nursing Students

PURPOSE

To evaluate the effectiveness of an online human trafficking awareness program for healthcare providers.

DESIGN

Mixed-methods study.

METHODS

Sample (N=141) consisted of community health nursing students, who completed a pretest, watched one three-minute video a day for 20 days, and completed a posttest.

FINDINGS

Participants indicated their knowledge of human trafficking increased, attitudes toward victims improved, and competence and confidence engaging with victims increased. Satisfaction with program, and information utilization plans for practice were revealed.

CONCLUSIONS

Human trafficking awareness program was effective in increasing participants' knowledge, competence and confidence, and improving attitudes.

CLINICAL EVIDENCE

Educational intervention is a strategy to improve students' knowledge of human trafficking.

Compassionate Care-Going the Extra Mile: Sex Trafficking Survivors' Recommendations for Healthcare Best Practices

Human Trafficking (HT) persists in the US, despite multi-level measures designed to mitigate its societal costs. HT instruction for healthcare providers is growing, but there is a dearth of resources and training presenting obstacles for victims accessing suitable healthcare services. Voices of survivors are also scant in the literature, despite the fact that their recommendations would appear essential when designing best practices. This study aimed to methodically gather recommendations from sex trafficking (ST) survivors who sought medical care during their victimization. An exploratory concurrent mixed-methods design was used, and semi-structured interviews (N = 22) were conducted between March 2016 and March 2017, in San Diego, CA, and Philadelphia, PA. Data were analyzed through a coding system to identify meaningful analytical themes. Study participants were recruited through survivor-centered organizations, and their identification was kept anonymous and confidential. Findings included three main themes: (A) Red Flags; (B) supportive healthcare practices; and (C) resources for ST-patient study participants’ recommendations aimed to improve healthcare practice in response to their medical needs in a compassionate and caring manner, with trust building, rapport, and an opportunity to instill hope among ST-patients. Implementing Compassionate Care approaches when caring for ST-patients could positively impact patient–provider interactions, while creating opportunities for intervention.