A new research study from Sweden highlights the importance of trauma informed pediatric care, finding that 1 in 3 children experience PTSD following traffic accidents. In the study, 292 children completed a questionnaire after a traffic accident to assess their recovery. One year post-accident, 22% of children reported mental and psychosocial problems and, as other studies have shown, these issues were not related to the objective severity of their physical injuries.

While pediatric providers can not prevent accidents from happening, the study also found that receiving inpatient care and additional medical procedures further increased the distress children experienced. Doctors and nurses can lessen any medical traumatic stress children and their families may experience by practicing trauma informed care.

As a pediatric provider, how do you ease the fears and worries of children who were in a car accident?