| Trustworthiness and transparency | - Ensure confidentiality but make sure to clearly disclose any state- or institution-specific limits to confidentiality
- Clarify your professional role and that of other staff
- Explain steps and procedures in advance of any physical examination
|
| Peer support and mutual self-help | - Ask if the patient would like you to provide information on local peer support groups and other organizations that support persons who have experienced trauma
- Discuss and normalize the traumatic response; provide examples of such responses (eg, flashbacks, nightmares, feelings of isolation, etc).
- Ask if the patient would like written information about the trauma response
|
| Collaboration and mutuality | - Use body language to convey attentiveness (sit at eye level, maintain eye contact, lean slightly forward)
- Emphasize the importance of shared decision-making and the patient’s autonomy
|
| Empowerment, voice, and choice | - Clarify the patient’s goals for the encounter and prioritize them
- Ask the patient to tell you if anything you say or do makes them uncomfortable
- If possible, offer self-administration of sensitive exams
- Pause frequently during the encounter to allow the patient to speak
- Provide options for care, when available
- Explain in advance what the encounter will entail, and obtain assent for each component of the visit and physical exam
|
| Combatting structural violence | - Sensitively inquire about experiences of structural violence in patients with higher risk of these experiences
- Inquire about and respect religious/cultural preferences regarding care to the extent possible
|
