My article was on a study on the knowledge of nurses in dealing with human trafficking. The study was done with a pre and post-education knowledge evaluation. What they found was that most nurses do not have the knowledge that they need to identify victims of human trafficking, and even more frightening is that they don’t know who to contact once a victim is identified. The study also showed how the number of victims increases every year and also why some of them will stay with their captors if given the choice. Additionally it showed what health issues theses victims may be seeking medical treatment for. This allows us to be more alert to signs and symptoms of something more sinister than a simple UTI. But education is key.
Lawrence, M., & Bauer, P. (2020). Knowledge base of nurses before and after a human trafficking continuing education course. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 51(7), 316-321. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.fhsu.edu:2048/10.3928/00220124-20200611-07
Excellent topic for review. Human trafficking has become a huge problem, even in areas like the midwest that you would not expect that type of activity in. Your article highlights the importance of nurses understanding how to identify and provide safety and resources for trafficking victims. According to the Emergency Nurses Association, there are more than 17,000 people that are victims of it every year in the United States and that almost 90% of those people encountered a healthcare professional and were not identified as victims. Nurses are on the front line of seeing this patients and knowing how to identify them and provide them with life saving resources is paramount to helping them. Many of the victims present to the ED with common, non emergent health complaints or STDs because they are not allowed a primary care provider. The Trafficking Awareness Training for Healthcare Act of 2014 was passed to help healthcare professionals identify and help victims of these crimes. Unfortunately these types of crimes continue to rise and the need for training to health care professionals will need to continue and evolve to keep up.
Human trafficking patient awareness in the emergency setting: JEN JEN. (2016). Journal of Emergency Nursing, 42(2), 150-152.doi:http://dx.doi.org.butlerlib.butlercc.edu/10.1016/S0099-1767(16)00108-2
Excellent topic for review. Human trafficking has become a huge problem, even in areas like the midwest that you would not expect that type of activity in. Your article highlights the importance of nurses understanding how to identify and provide safety and resources for trafficking victims. According to the Emergency Nurses Association, there are more than 17,000 people that are victims of it every year in the United States and that almost 90% of those people encountered a healthcare professional and were not identified as victims (J.E.N, 2016). Nurses are on the front line of seeing this patients and knowing how to identify them and provide them with life saving resources is paramount to helping them. Many of the victims present to the ED with common, non emergent health complaints or STDs because they are not allowed a primary care provider. The Trafficking Awareness Training for Healthcare Act of 2014 was passed to help healthcare professionals identify and help victims of these crimes. Unfortunately these types of crimes continue to rise and the need for training to health care professionals will need to continue and evolve to keep up.
Human trafficking patient awareness in the emergency setting:
JEN. (2016). Journal of Emergency Nursing, 42(2), 150-
152.doi:http://dx.doi.org.butlerlib.butlercc.edu/10.1016/S009
9-1767(16)00108-2
I have worked in a clinic setting for almost 9 years and I can honestly say that we have never received training on human trafficking. Being alert to those patients that have an unusual story or over protecting companions can be red flags but only if your staff knows what to watch for. Training is essential and as criminals change and improve their skills, healthcare will need to improve as well.
This is a very interesting topic. I actually attended a class on this at Children’s Mercy last year. One of the speakers at the class was Russ Tuttle from the Stop Trafficking Project( http://www.stoptraffickingproject.com/ ). This was one of the most informative classes I have attended. He spoke a lot about social media and how children are abducted through social media. It is truly amazing the kind of people out there in this world. I encourage everyone to contact them, I have talked with our hospital about getting together with our local school district to have them come to our small town. People think that because you are from a small community they aren’t at risk but truly anyone is at risk.
I have spent a significant amount of time looking at the website that you provided. It is a great resource and I agree it would be an invaluable tool to use at our local schools. Parents should take the time to watch the videos as well. I have seen BARK advertised but hadn’t taken the time to look into it. In fact, I felt that it easily could have been another way to exploit or gather information on my kids. Instead it really surprised me that some contact takes less than 1 minute after creating a profile. Thanks for sharing this resource.
This particular topic caught my eye right from the start. As a nurse I don’t really think of human trafficking and I should. We often hear about it on the news, radios however we generally think that it will never happen to us or anyone we know. Unfortunately as we all know that is not true, our world know is ever changing. Upon looking at the human trafficking statistics the Department of Homeland Security noted that in 2019 there were 1,024 investigations with a nexus to human trafficking and recorded 2,197 arrests, 1,113 indictments, and 691 convictions; 428 victims were identified and assisted. What are your thoughts on the statistics from last year? What interventions do you think should be in place to decrease some of these statistics?
https://www.ice.gov/features/human-trafficking
When I hear the term “human trafficking” I automatically think about sexual exploitation but looking at this website shows how many other professions can be forced as well. “Human trafficking victims have been found in communities nationwide in the agriculture, hospitality, restaurant, domestic work and other industries, as well as in prostitution that is facilitated online, on the street, or in businesses fronting for prostitution such as massage parlors.” This really opened my eyes at how many other victims are being exploited. Sweat shops and child labor are issues that we don’t expect to see in America either but are very real issues as well.
https://www.ice.gov/features/human-trafficking
This is definitely a topic that needs to be discussed more often in healthcare. “Approximately 87% of trafficked individuals were seen by a health-care provider during the time they were under the control of their traffickers,” (
References
Bauer, R. (2019). What Health Providers Should Know About Human Sex Trafficking. MEDSURG Nursing, 28(6), 347–351.
This is definitely a topic that needs to be discussed more often in healthcare. “Approximately 87% of trafficked individuals were seen by a health-care provider during the time they were under the control of their traffickers,” (Bauer, 2019). This statistic blew my mind. It proves that as nurses we come into contact with a victim of human trafficking far more often than we realize. We have a crisis center in Great Bend that serves multiple counties. They deal largely in domestic violence but they have seen a huge jump in human trafficking over the last several years. This is something that is happening even in our small rural communities. The lady that stops into the health department from time to time explained to me all the forms of human trafficking that they have encountered. It is not just sexual exploitation, it goes far deeper than that. I know when I used to hear “human trafficking” my first thought was people being sold into the sex industry, now I am more aware that it can be a boyfriend/girlfriend, parent, etc. that is exploiting the victim. I would be very interested in some formal training for our office. This is great topic that you chose.
References
Bauer, R. (2019). What Health Providers Should Know About Human Sex Trafficking. MEDSURG Nursing, 28(6), 347–351.
I always thought that this was mostly sex trade but didn’t realize or that slave labor, housekeeping, modeling etc all falls under human trafficking. Anytime they are traded without their consent or traded expecting different results than they were given. It opens this phrase up to so many more victims. I think that this information is essential to share since this increases the number of victims drastically.
This is such an eye opening topic. What a help we as nurses can be with more education on this topic. That is a huge percentage of victims that come through the healthcare system. In lookin at different articles, I agree we all need training and more importantly knowledge of the resources we have available to help them. The information that I looked at stressed the importance of not only being able to spot “red flags”, but to have the training needed to then implement the screening tool. There were so many things that you need to consider when trying to help, it appears that someone would need to be designated in that role once possible victim identified.
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/otip/adult_human_trafficking_screening_tool_and_guide.pdf
This topic really caught my eye. Working on an acute care floor setting I don’t normally come across these types of patients. But after researching the topic I may actually see more than I think. “Recent studies have demonstrated that 28% to 50% of trafficking victims in the United States encountered health care professionals while in captivity, but were not identified and recognized” (Grace, 2014). This study was a similar study to your research was over. They wanted to see if providing education to healthcare providers would increase reporting. “A brief educational intervention increased ED provider knowledge and self-reported recognition of HT victims” (Grace,2014). This needs to be brought to all emergency department providers and nursing personal, but also clinics and public health personal. I work in a pediatric hospital and our ER staff goes through this training/education. Being aware that its happening and anybody is at risk and being alert because it is a real problem. I have seen one case in pediatrics on the floor, she was brought in by her parent to the ED it wasn’t until she was seen by our hospitalist that it was determined she was a victim of human trafficking. It can be anyone and having education and understanding of what to do is helpful. Great topic, enjoyed the eye opening information.
Grace, A. M., Lippert, S., Collins, K., Pineda, N., Tolani, A., Walker, R., Jeong, M., Trounce, M. B., Graham-Lamberts, C., Bersamin, M., Martinez, J., Dotzler, J., Vanek, J., Storfer-Isser, A., Chamberlain, L. J., & Horwitz, S. M. (2014). Educating health care professionals on human trafficking. Pediatric emergency care, 30(12), 856–861. https://doi.org/10.1097/PEC.0000000000000287
Actually identifying a victim must have brought an incredible flood of emotions. Disgust, Hatred, Gratefullness, love….I can’t even imagine. So glad that the hospitalist was able to identify that she was a victim and hopefully interventions were successful.
What type of training does your hospital provide? Is it a specific training program?
I think this is something every nurse could use more education on. “Human trafficking is exploitation of human vulnerability. At a very basic level, we are all vulnerable by the very nature of human existence. But for some millions of individuals in our world under the coercion of mental, physical, and monetary manipulation, traffickers exploit their vulnerabilities for their own financial gain” (Stevens, et. all). Working in mental health a large number of our patients are vulnerable. I think we should all have more education on trafficking and patient exploitation in general. This is an excellent journal topic.
Resources:
Stevens, Susan DNP, RN, PMHNP-BC (Instructor)1; Acker, Shekitta MS, PA-C (Instructor)1; Green, Kristina DNP, RN, FNP-BC (Assistant Professor)1; Swales, Sheila MS, RN, PMHNP-BC (Instructor)1; Fulmer, Holly M. MS, RN, ANP-BC (Nurse Practitioner)2; Fortinsky, Rachel (Student)3,4; Nicholas, Patrice K. DNSc, DHL (Hon.), MPH, MS, RN, NP-C, FAAN (Professor)1 Understanding the mental health impact of human trafficking, Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners: December 2019 – Volume 31 – Issue 12 – p 699-704 doi: 10.1097/JXX.0000000000000225
Mental Health must play an important role in both the human trafficking situation and also in the recovery. One of the things that really stuck me was with that this article really felt that things were going to get dramatically worse with more people affected by human trafficking than ever before. They also said that our training should have started yesterday. I feel very uninformed about this topic and hope that I can bring more attention to this issue at our clinic.
Stewart, D. E. (2016). Mental health and human trafficking. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 25(4), 342-344. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.fhsu.edu:2048/10.1017/S2045796016000093
Human trafficking is something that as a nurse I do wish I could watch out for more. There have been times you wonder when there is an odd situation. I found an article where 50-80 percent of those in human trafficking seek medical care while under control of their trafficker, wouldn’t it be great if able to get majority out of the scene if nurses were able to recognize the signs and hospitals have procedures for this.
Byrne, M., Parsh, S., & EdD, B. (2019, August). Human trafficking: Impact, identification, and intervention : Nursing management. LWW. https://journals.lww.com/nursingmanagement/Fulltext/2019/08000/Human_trafficking__Impact,_identification,_and.5.aspx
This is an interesting topic that I agree does not get as much attention as needed. The prevalence of human trafficking in the Midwest is much higher than one would think. Along major highways and the intersections between two of them, the rate seems to be even higher. I have personal experience with this while working in the emergency room. We would have patients brought into the hospital by law enforcement. These patients were often on drugs, had little to no identification, and the person/persons picking them up were of no relation and often not state residents. In an article I found on this very topic, the ins and outs of how nurses should handle situation like these are laid out. The rate at which these persons are injured and need medical treatment is incredibly high. A sutdy found that almost 64% of patients involved in trafficking had visited an emergency department at some point due to injuries sustained (Bauer, 2019). I attatched the link to the article below and hope it helps your research project.
Bauer, R. (2019). What Health Providers Should Know About Human Sex Trafficking. MEDSURG Nursing, 28(6), 347–351.
I think this is an excellent topic to discuss. I am a public health nurse and a health department. We actually get training every year on this subject as many victims are seen by a medical provider during the time that they are under the control of the trafficker. I have actually had a patient that was being trafficked who had come in for STD testing. It can be easy to miss the signs if you aren’t trained and education is key in this type of situation. Luckily I noticed her behavior and was able to separate her from her “partner” where I was able to confirm that she was being trafficked and we were able to get her help and out of that situation. It could have been so different. Education is key, and I’m so glad it is provided and mandatory in my job. Such a scary situation.
Chang, K., & Hayashi, A. (1970, January 01). The Role of Community Health Centers in Addressing Human Trafficking. Retrieved July 11, 2020, from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-47824-1_20
This is a great topic for discussion and one I wish I knew more about. I agree that there should be more training in the healthcare setting on how to recognize victims of human trafficking. Finding out that so many victims had been seen in the healthcare setting during that time is a scary statistic. I checked out the link the one of the previous posters shared to educate myself further. Thank you for sharing this topic and bringing awareness.