Trauma-informed care requires that the healthcare or service provider is informed about and sensitive to the impact of trauma and adjusts how care is delivered in order to accommodate trauma survivors’ unique vulnerabilities. Trauma-informed care includes ensuring that the trauma survivor feels safe, that the provider and healthcare or service setting are experienced as trustworthy, and that the survivor is given as much choice and control as possible. Treatment by uninformed healthcare practitioners and service providers can be re-traumatizing and result in survivors avoiding further treatment or engagement with the service even if it means putting their health or service provision at risk. For instance, when a healthcare professional is not knowledgeable about the effects of trauma and does not provide trauma-informed care, the care provided can trigger memories of trauma leading to an inability to comply with treatment recommendations or to return for further treatment.
