Perspectives of Hospital Emergency Department Staff on Paediatric Medical Traumatic Stress and Trauma-informed Care.

Of the millions of children injured each year, a significant minority will go on to develop paediatric medical traumatic stress. Given the prevalence and negative impact associated, incorporating trauma-informed care into standard emergency medical care has been recommended to minimise the suffering of children and families. This thesis examined ED staff knowledge of paediatric medical traumatic stress and trauma-informed care and developed and assessed training that targets identified gaps in knowledge. This thesis demonstrated that there is a need for widespread training of ED staff due to a lack of knowledge in paediatric medical traumatic stress and trauma-informed care. Importantly, this thesis found minimal online training can significantly improve ED staff knowledge and understanding of paediatric medical traumatic stress and trauma-informed care.