Assessment of Human Trafficking Knowledge in Licensed Urgent Care Workers
Karen L. Hoblet, PhD, MSN, RN, CNL | September 21 | 11:15 am-12:15 pm
Topic: Research, Healthcare | Knowledge Level: Beginner
Toledo, Ohio has been identified as an area of attention regarding human trafficking (OTPSC, 2010). Trafficked persons can experience injury, illness, and can need treatment. Urgent care and emergency centers are episodic care centers and preferred by traffickers to provide treatment to those trafficked (Chambers, 2019). Providing effective care requires knowledge and tools regarding human trafficking to provide optimal care to victims (Chisolm-Straker et al., 2016). This research seeks to determine if healthcare workers in urgent care centers received education regarding human trafficking and if these healthcare workers have knowledge of indicators of human trafficking, procedures to rescue, and support resources. IRB approval was received from The University of Toledo and ProMedica Health System. "Human Trafficking Awareness Survey 1" (HTAS1), a 14-item instrument developed for this work was validated for content and constructs by subject matter experts and was provided to participants after an informed consent process. Participants included healthcare professionals from seven urgent care centers in the Toledo, Ohio region. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 28 for frequencies to answer the research questions. Findings are similar to a previous study of emergency center workers which confirms that knowledge gaps persist in understanding of human trafficking. Inherent limitation of generalization exists due to specification of healthcare sites and limited number of participants but supports ongoing education in this area. This study demonstrated the need for urgent care healthcare practice to include professional education/training on knowledge regarding human trafficking to facilitate implementation of effective strategies to assist persons being trafficked and to address this persistent public health issue.
Presentation Objectives:
· Describe a method to assess knowledge of urgent care healthcare worker about indicators, processes/procedures to rescue, and access to resources to support victims of human trafficking
· Answer the two research questions: 1) Do healthcare workers in urgent care center receive education regarding human trafficking? and 2) Do healthcare workers in urgent care centers have knowledge of indicators of human trafficking, procedures to rescue and support resources?