Award Date

5-1-2021

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

First Committee Member

Aaron Bellow Jr.

Second Committee Member

Paul Thomas Clements

Third Committee Member

M. Alexis Kennedy

Number of Pages

46

Abstract

Human trafficking (HT) victims often seek medical care in the emergency room setting. In a recent study among HT survivors, 88% attested to receiving medical care while in captivity, with 63% treated in the emergency care setting. Freestanding emergency departments typically have lower acuity and lower patient volumes than hospital-based emergency departments. This setting creates shorter wait times and minimizes the length of stay at every point during the emergency room experience. For traffickers, this is an ideal situation if their victim needs medical attention, and they want to get in and get out of the emergency room with less exposure to crowds and healthcare providers. For many victims, successful screening during their visit to the emergency room can be the gateway toward their freedom. The problem is the inadequate training and education on HT provided to healthcare providers. This lack of education minimizes the ability to successfully identify and potentially rescue a victim of HT. The project’s scope was to provide staff in the freestanding emergency room facilities of Trusted Medical, the knowledge, and tools to improve the identification of victims being trafficked and to intervene on their behalf. Pre- and Post-Survey data collected, demonstrated a pre-course knowledge base deficit about human trafficking. The post course surveys indicated that participants had increased knowledge and understanding of how to recognize, approach, treat, and report possible victims of HT. Healthcare providers that receive education on HT can be invaluable in identifying and helping trafficked victims.

Keywords

Education; Nursing; Trafficking

Disciplines

Education | Nursing

File Format

pdf

File Size

1612 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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