Health Care Providers’ Knowledge of Human Trafficking: Implications for Building Service Capacity in a Frontier State
Neely Mahapatra, PhD, MSSW & Kirsten Havig, MSW, PhD | September 25 | 12:00-12:30 PM
Topic: Research, Healthcare | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
While health care providers are in a unique position to be able to respond to the needs of trafficking victims, they often do not have the training necessary for appropriate identification and response (Pardee, Munro-Kramer, Bigelow, & Dahlem, 2016). Studies surrounding the knowledge of health care providers in rural areas are scant (Cole & Sprang, 2015). The main goal of this research was to provide empirically-grounded data about knowledge and needs of key health care professionals in terms of identification and response to human trafficking victims/survivors in a frontier/rural state. A convenience sample of 404 health care professionals (including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, occupational therapist, dentists, social workers, health sciences faculty, and other medical professionals) were recruited to complete an anonymous survey. Descriptive analyses were conducted using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS-24). Key findings include an increased knowledge of: providers’ professional preparation around human trafficking; their overall awareness of trafficking and specific knowledge of trafficking policies and confidence to respond; providers’ sense of responsibility to engage in identification of human trafficking as a routine element of practice; providers’ use of formalized protocols in the practice setting and knowledge of community resources, and; needs for the improvement of a coordinated statewide trafficking response. Such findings and other results will be presented and translated into both overall recommendations for improving the knowledge of and response of health care professionals to human trafficking in the state, as well as the role of social workers in ensuring collaborative research, practice, and advocacy.
Presentation Objectives:
· Discuss health care provider perceptions of the issue of human trafficking in the frontier context
· Identify cultural, social, professional, and other barriers to health care providers’ ability to respond to human trafficking
· Provide recommendations for improving the knowledge of and response of health care professionals to human trafficking and improving research, policy, training, and service capacity for human trafficking victims and survivors in the frontier state