BACKGROUND: Perinatal health care providers receive little training on addressing posttraumatic stress in childbearing women. Provision of trauma-informed care requires agency-wide adaptations. The authors developed a brief, agency-level, in-service training on trauma-informed perinatal care and evaluated the training using a knowledge, skills, and attitudes framework. METHOD: A single-group, pretest-posttest design was used for this project. Data were collected from attendees who were in mental health, health care, and administrative staff roles. RESULTS: Forty-seven participants were included in the analysis. Statistically significant gains in knowledge, skills, and attitudes following the in-service were noted. Qualitative data provided suggestions for future improvements. CONCLUSION: Most participants found that the training program was useful and relevant to their practice settings, but more advanced programs are needed for some professionals. Educational programs and training for trauma-informed care addressing these needs should be developed and evaluated in the future. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.
BACKGROUND: Perinatal health care providers receive little training on addressing posttraumatic stress in childbearing women. Provision of trauma-informed care requires agency-wide adaptations. The authors developed a brief, agency-level, in-service training on trauma-informed perinatal care and evaluated the training using a knowledge, skills, and attitudes framework. METHOD: A single-group, pretest-posttest design was used for this project. Data were collected from attendees who were in mental health, health care, and administrative staff roles. RESULTS: Forty-seven participants were included in the analysis. Statistically significant gains in knowledge, skills, and attitudes following the in-service were noted. Qualitative data provided suggestions for future improvements. CONCLUSION: Most participants found that the training program was useful and relevant to their practice settings, but more advanced programs are needed for some professionals. Educational programs and training for trauma-informed care addressing these needs should be developed and evaluated in the future. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.