This book aims to build a bridge between mental health and health care professionals by exploring the emotional layer of the patient experience and how people can work together to improve the quality of care at every level for every patient. It focuses primarily on helping adults manage the psychological and emotional effects of medical trauma. The first part of the book defines medical trauma and explains the unique characteristics, cases, and effects of this experience. Using ecological perspective as a framework, a model of medical trauma is created to incorporate four of the major contributing factors (the patient, diagnosis/procedures, medical staff, and treatment environment). The second part of the book presents new models, protocols, and the best practices for meeting the mental health needs of adult patients who experience medical trauma, and explores prevention and intervention strategies that can be employed across the continuum of care. It highlights examples of health care systems and organizations that have successfully applied innovative ideas for treating the whole person as well as share ideas not yet tested but worth pursuing. The second part is organized based on three levels of patient care: primary care (Level I Medical Trauma), specialist trauma (Level 2 Medical Trauma), and acute trauma (Level 3 Medical Trauma). It closes with a discussion of the implications for the future of health care and a presentation of ideas for innovation and continued improvement of the patient experience.
