To Treat My Patient, I Had To Understand Her Trauma

Eve Rittenberg

doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00422

To Treat My Patient, I Had To Understand Her Trauma

Health Aff (Millwood). 2020 Jan;39(1):161-164. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00422.

Author

Eve Rittenberg¹

Affiliation

¹ Eve Rittenberg ( erittenberg@bwh. harvard. edu ) is a primary care physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston, Massachusetts. She thanks her colleagues Annie Lewis-O'Connor, Nomi Levy-Carrick, and Hanni Stoklosa for their support and inspiration in trauma-informed care.

PMID: 31905065
DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00422

Abstract

A patient who is a survivor of abuse benefits from a health care approach that acknowledges her past trauma.

Keywords: Adverse childhood experiences; Caregivers; Clinics; Depression; Diabetes; Emergency departments; Health policy; Medical education; Patient care; Trauma-informed care; Violence.

MeSH terms

Adult
Delivery of Health Care*
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / complications*
Domestic Violence / psychology*
Female
Humans
Intimate Partner Violence / psychology*
Patient Care Team
Professional-Patient Relations*