Humanizing Healthcare: PTSD and Trauma in the PICU.
At the core of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) lies a reality often overlooked: trauma. It’s a common aspect of healthcare, not just for pediatric patients. Having worked in the medical field myself, I’ve seen firsthand how hope dwindles for patients the longer they stay in the hospital. Nurses and healthcare professionals like us have a choice in brightening their day. Every moment in the PICU is a delicate balance between life and death, where every beep of a monitor and every whispered conversation carries stress and grief. While the PICU offers hope for critically ill children and their families, it also presents numerous challenges beyond physical ailments. One increasingly…show more content… Failure to address these care aspects can result in enduring ramifications for both patients and healthcare professionals. In the article, “12 Ways to Show Compassion in Nursing”, RN Darby Faubion mentions that “...knowing what to say or how to respond is not always easy. Even the most experienced nurse can struggle at times.” She emphasizes that “compassionate nursing care brings patients comfort when they are ill or suffering from distress. Tenderheartedness in nursing can ease a patient mentally and emotionally, which helps them heal and improves overall health outcomes.” Healthcare workers in high-stress environments like the PICU are at increased risk of developing mental health disorders such as burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress. Just like patients, employees struggle too. I can relate to this as I work in the medical field and witness a death at least once a month. However, this headspace is expected to be left at the door. I’ve heard many of my coworkers mention, “I’m so done with taking care of people” or “I don’t need to give this medication because I don’t feel like it.” Especially in the hospital, where everything happens so fast and changes are made quickly, nurses are often too tired to provide quality care even halfway through the shift. On the flip side, these conditions rub off on the patients as they are given care. Childhood is the most crucial time in one’s life. This stage of life is where you find friends, discover what you believe in, and explore interests of all kinds. Long stays in the hospital can become severely isolating and depressing for young children. I can distinctly remember a time when I had to get my tonsils out. I was in kindergarten, scared and confused as to why I had to do this. They poked me with an IV, took my vitals (which at the time were scary), and sent me off to surgery in a rolling bed. I started to tear up
