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. 2019 Aug 21:7:2050312119871417.
doi: 10.1177/2050312119871417. eCollection 2019.

Low provider and staff self-care in a large safety-net HIV clinic in the Southern United States: Implications for the adoption of trauma-informed care

Jessica M Sales  1 , Kaitlin Piper  1 , Clara Riddick  2 , Betelihem Getachew  1 , Jonathan Colasanti  2   3 , Ameeta Kalokhe  2   3
Affiliations

Low provider and staff self-care in a large safety-net HIV clinic in the Southern United States: Implications for the adoption of trauma-informed care

Jessica M Sales et al. SAGE Open Med. .

Abstract

Objective: This mixed-methods needs assessment study examined self-care practices among providers, staff, and administrators at an HIV clinic and identified barriers and facilitators to strengthening self-care services in this setting.

Methods: Surveys (n = 31) and qualitative interviews (n = 23) were conducted with staff, providers, and administrators at a large, safety-net HIV clinic.

Results: Surveys indicated an overall absence of formal self-care services including resources to manage stress, opportunities to debrief, and formal mechanisms to voice concerns. Based on interviews with staff and providers, deficiencies in self-care services included support for dealing with complex patients, formal mechanisms for feedback, and time for self-care. Administrators recognized the need for more support, acknowledged that opportunities for employees to voice concerns were lacking, and felt that implementing multi-disciplinary team meetings could improve morale and reduce stress and burnout.

Conclusion: This assessment revealed a need to enhance self-care in safety-net HIV services. Adoption of trauma-informed care, which includes activities to strengthen self-care, could reduce workplace burnout.

Keywords: HIV/AIDS; Self-care; burnout; trauma-informed care.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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