Abstract
Introduction
The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to educate emergency nurses
and social workers about human trafficking and implement a human trafficking screening,
management, and referral protocol adapted from the National Human Trafficking Resource
Center.
Methods
A human trafficking educational module was developed and delivered at a suburban community
hospital emergency department to 34 emergency nurses and 3 social workers through
the hospital’s e-learning platform, with learning outcomes evaluated via a pretest/posttest
and program evaluation. The emergency department electronic health record was revised
to include a human trafficking protocol. Patient assessment, management, and referral
documentation were evaluated for protocol adherence.
Results
With established content validity, 85% of nurses and 100% of social workers completed
the human trafficking educational program, with posttest scores being significantly
higher than pretest scores (mean difference = 7.34, P ≤ .01) along with high (88%-91%) program evaluation scores. Although no human trafficking
victims were identified during the 6-month data collection period, nurses and social
workers adhered to the documentation parameters in the protocol 100% of the time.
Discussion
The care of human trafficking victims can be improved when emergency nurses and social
workers can recognize red flags using a standard screening tool and protocol, thereby
identifying and managing potential victims.
Key words
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Biography
Gail Greiner-Weinstein is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing, Loyola University Chicago School of Nursing, Maywood, IL.
Biography
Vicki Bacidore, Member, Illinois State Council, is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Nursing, Loyola University Chicago School of Nursing, Maywood, IL. ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3737-1457
Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 01, 2023
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2023 Emergency Nurses Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
