1. Engaging Survivors of Human Trafficking: Complex Health Care Needs and Scarce Resources
- Author
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Wendy Macias-Konstantopoulos, Abigail M. Judge, Jennifer A. Murphy, and Jose Hidalgo
- Subjects
Mental Health Services ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Social stigma ,Attitude of Health Personnel ,Social Stigma ,Population ,Psychological intervention ,03 medical and health sciences ,Social support ,0302 clinical medicine ,Nursing ,Health care ,Internal Medicine ,Humans ,Medicine ,0501 psychology and cognitive sciences ,Survivors ,030212 general & internal medicine ,education ,Physician-Patient Relations ,education.field_of_study ,Primary Health Care ,business.industry ,Public health ,Communication Barriers ,05 social sciences ,Social Support ,General Medicine ,Patient Acceptance of Health Care ,Mental health ,United States ,Call to action ,Human Trafficking ,business ,Delivery of Health Care ,050104 developmental & child psychology - Abstract
Human trafficking, also known as modern-day slavery, is an egregious human rights violation associated with wide-ranging medical and mental health consequences. Because of the extensive health problems related to trafficking, health care providers play a critical role in identifying survivors and engaging them in ongoing care. Although guidelines for recognizing affected patients and a framework for developing response protocols in health care settings have been described, survivors' ongoing engagement in health care services is very challenging. High rates of disengagement, lost contact, premature termination, and attrition are common outcomes. For interventions to be effective in this marginalized population, challenges in engaging survivors in long-term therapeutic primary and mental health care must be better understood and overcome. This article uses the socioecological model of public health to identify barriers to engagement; offers evidence- and practice-based recommendations for overcoming these barriers; and proposes an interdisciplinary call to action for developing more flexible, adaptable models of care.
- Published
- 2018
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