Be Trauma I.N.F.O.R.M.E.D. Toolkit

Description

The Be Trauma I.N.F.O.R.M.E.D. toolkit is an evidence-informed framework designed to support internal medicine residents and other clinicians in applying trauma-informed care (TIC) principles during clinical encounters. The toolkit provides a structured, practical approach to trauma-informed communication that clinicians can integrate into routine patient care.

The toolkit was developed through a stakeholder-informed process involving internal medicine residents, adult patients, and interdisciplinary care team members, including nurses, social workers, and chaplains. Qualitative findings identified a need for a practical framework that could help clinicians translate TIC principles into specific communication behaviors while remaining feasible within the time constraints of clinical practice. The toolkit explicitly aligns with federal TIC principles and the validated Trauma-Informed Competencies for Undergraduate Medical Education.

Content validity was established through expert review using a modified Delphi process. Eleven experts in trauma-informed care evaluated the overall toolkit and each of its eight components for relevance, completeness, feasibility, and practicality. Consensus was defined a priori as ≥80% of panelists providing an average rating >4 on a 5-point Likert scale. Two iterative Delphi rounds were conducted until consensus was achieved.

The resulting Be Trauma I.N.F.O.R.M.E.D. toolkit provides clinicians with a structured and systematic approach for incorporating trauma-informed communication into clinical practice. It is intended to facilitate the translation of TIC principles into concrete, actionable behaviors that promote safety, trust, collaboration, empowerment, and patient-centered care.

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