Community Presentations
"This program has
made me more aware of the need to
be compassionate and has better prepared me
to deal with the emotional
needs of my trauma patients. "
-
EMT
"This presentation
has helped me to improve my
practice and to know what concerns a trauma patient
- especially
emotionally."
- Registered
Nurse
"REBUILD has helped
me become more aware of the
impact I might be able to have when working as a patient
advocate.
"
- Case Manager
Presentations are arranged to provide patient-focused training to health care
professionals to enhance the caregivers' understanding of the trauma
experience
and increase their ability to address emotional needs of
trauma patients. Group
members engage in active dialog with their
audiences, giving both the professional
and survivor an opportunity to
learn from each other.
Trauma survivors have been
participating in REBUILD presentations since November
1995 when the
group first spoke to a class of recruits at the Fairfax Fire and
Rescue
Training Academy. Since then, group members have presented to several different
audiences including universities, medical conferences, hospital
in-services, high
schools, volunteer and career EMS training centers
and nursing schools.
During these presentations REBUILD members describe their experiences with
the rescue, hospitalization and rehabilitation processes, depending on
the audience,
providing valuable insight into the emotional journey
shared by all trauma patients.
After each presenter relates their
story, a general group dialog follows, allowing
for more in-depth
discussion with the audience about the issues of patient care,
the
professional's experience, and the long-term effects of patient-caregiver
interactions.
Recovering trauma patients are
able to thank the paramedics, nurses, doctors and
therapists for their
important role in the healing process, providing closure
and growth for
both patient and caregiver. Reconnecting caregivers to the patient
experience appears to have a profound effect on these caregivers as
they report
a renewed commitment to their chosen profession, and fresh
insight into their
patient's experience.
REBUILD members also participate in the Reality Check
Program, which is designed
to support young driver safety and
education. This program targets the 10,000
students who enroll in
driver's education in Fairfax County each year in an effort
to reduce
teenagers driving under the influence (DUI). It is a collaborative effort
with the Fairfax County schools and incorporates an attitude survey to
measure
program outcomes.
Care provided in the "field" and along the continuum from hospitalization,
rehabilitation and home affects the patients' emotional recovery.
Trauma caregivers (rescue workers, nurses, and
physicians) receive extensive training
in the principles of rescue,
emergency medical care, treatment and rehabilitation.
They must remain
calm, professional and technically competent during crisis situations.
This field places high demands upon its workers including long hours
and consistently
stressful situations, causing a high rate of burnout
among workers (Cydulka, Lyons,
Moy, Shay, Hammer and Matthews, 1989;
Grigsby and McKnew, 1988; Grevin, 1996).
Consequently,
trauma caregivers often dissociate from their feelings, detaching
from
the human side of trauma and focusing solely on medical protocol. Neglecting
the emotional needs of trauma patients may result in further
traumatization of
the patient, which can have negative long-term
effects on recovery. Studies have
found that failure to address low
levels of empathy or lack of empathy, as well
as PTSD symptoms in
paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMT) may result
in poor
patient care and diagnostic intervention (Williams, 1989; Nadelson, 1996).
Medical professionals participating in the
REBUILD presentations report gaining
a greater understanding of the
trauma experience, how the professional's care
is experienced by the
patient, and express a renewed commitment to attending to
the patient's
emotional as well as physical needs.
