‘It felt like there was always someone there for us’: Supporting children affected by domestic violence and abuse who are identified by general practice

One in five children in the UK are affected by domestic violence and abuse. However, primary care clinicians (GPs and nurses) struggle to effectively identify and support children and young people living in homes where it is present. The IRIS+ (Enhanced Identification and Referral to Improve Safety) training and advocacy support intervention aimed to improve how clinicians respond to children and young people affected by domestic violence and abuse. IRIS+ training was delivered as part of a feasibility study to four general practices in an urban area in England (UK). Our mixed method design included interviews and questionnaires about the IRIS+ intervention with general practice patients, including children and young people as well as with clinicians and advocacy service providers. We collected the number of identifications and referrals by clinicians of children experiencing domestic violence and abuse through a retrospective search of medical and agency records 10 months after the intervention. Forty-nine children exposed to domestic violence and abuse were recorded in medical records. Thirty-five children were referred to a specialist domestic violence and abuse support service over a period of 10 months. Of these, 22 received direct or indirect support. The qualitative findings indicated that children benefitted from being referred by clinicians to the service. However, several barriers at the patient and professional level prevented children and young people from being identified and supported. Some of these barriers can be addressed through modifications to professional training and guidance, but others require systematic and structural changes to the way health and social care services work with children affected by domestic violence and abuse.     

A Pragmatic Observational Feasibility Study on Integrated Treatment for Musculoskeletal Disorders: Design and Protocol

Background:Musculoskeletal disorders(MSD) comprise a wide range of conditions,associated with an enormous pain and impaired mobility,and are affecting people's lives and work.Management of musculoskeletal disorders typically involves a multidisciplinary team approach.Positive findings have been found in previous studies evaluating the effectiveness of complementary therapies,though little attention has been paid to evaluating of the effectiveness of integrated packages of care combining conventional and complementary approaches for musculoskeletal conditions in a National Health Service(NHS) setting.Objective:To determine the feasibility of all aspects of a pragmatic observational study designed:(1) to evaluate the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of integrated treatments for MSDs in an integrated NHS hospital in the UK;(2) to determine the acceptability of the study design and research process to patients;(3) to explore patients' expectation and experience of receiving integrated treatments.Methods:This is an observational feasibility study,with 1-year recruitment and 1-year follow-up,conducted in Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine,University College London Hospital Trust,UK.All eligible patients with MSDs newly referred to the hospital were included in the study.Interventions are integrated packages of care(conventional and complementary) as currently provided in the hospital.SF-36 Health Survey,short form Brief Pain Inventory,Visual Analogue Scale,and modified Client Service Receipt Inventory will be assessed at 4/5 time points.Semi-structured interview/focus group will be carried out before treatment,and 1 year after commence of treatment.Discussion:We intend to conduct a pragmatic observational study of integrated medical treatment of MSDs at a public sector hospital.It will inform the design of a future trial including recruitment,retention,suitability of the outcome measures and patients experiences.     

Trauma-Focused Art Therapy in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Pilot Study

Research showed that more than 30% of patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) do not benefit from evidence-based treatments: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). These are patients with prolonged and multiple traumatization, with poor verbal memory, and patients with emotional over-modulation. Retelling traumatic experiences in detail is poorly tolerated by these patients and might be a reason for not starting or not completing the recommended treatments. Due to lack of evidence, no alternative treatments are recommended yet. Art therapy may offer an alternative and suitable treatment, because the nonverbal and experiential character of art therapy appears to be an appropriate approach to the often wordless and visual nature of traumatic memories. The objective of this pilot study was to test the acceptability, feasibility, and applicability of trauma-focused art therapy for adults with PTSD due to multiple and prolonged traumatization (patients with early childhood traumatization and refugees from different cultures). Another objective was to identify the preliminary effectiveness of art therapy. Results showed willingness to participate and adherence to treatment of patients. Therapists considered trauma-focused art therapy feasible and applicable and patients reported beneficial effects, such as more relaxation, externalization of memories and emotions into artwork, less intrusive thoughts of traumatic experiences and more confidence in the future. The preliminary findings on PTSD symptom severity showed a decrease of symptoms in some participants, and an increase of symptoms in other participants. Further research into the effectiveness of art therapy and PTSD is needed.