Sex Trafficking Survivor Perspectives on Healthcare Needs and Barriers to Care
Angela Rabbitt, DO, FAAP & Wendi Ehrman, MD | September 22 | 11:45 am-12:45 pm
Topic: Research, Healthcare | Knowledge Level: Intermediate
Healthcare providers report little confidence in their ability to identify and respond appropriately to the needs of individuals impacted by sex trafficking (ST) (Beck et al., 2015). Several national healthcare associations recommend training and institutional guidelines to improve institutional responses, but more research is needed to understand survivors’ perspectives on their health care needs and barriers to accessing quality care (Armstrong & Greenbaum, 2019). Focus groups of women currently and formerly impacted by ST were conducted to better understand their health care experiences and how health care delivery and systems could be improved. Adult women were recruited with the support of six community service agencies that serve victims and survivors of ST. A total of 27 women participated in 5 focus groups. Thematic analysis was employed to describe data from transcripts within and across focus groups. Focus group participants provided a rich discussion of barriers to health care during and after victimization by traffickers and actions healthcare organizations could take to improve access to quality care and identification of patients impacted by ST. Themes underscored the need for comprehensive and collocated services that address the changing needs of survivors across the lifespan, important elements of provider education and training to promote identification and engagement of patients at risk for ST, and initiatives to promote patient physical and emotional safety during health care visits. The presentation will highlight relevant literature outlining policies and best practices to address the barriers to health care identified in focus groups.
Presentation Objectives:
· Provide an overview of the study, including objectives, methodology, and results
· Describe the implications of survivors’ perspectives to healthcare policy and practice
· Discuss key action areas and specific improvements healthcare providers and organizations can take