In healthcare—especially perinatal care—trauma doesn’t just happen to patients. Nurses and frontline staff regularly witness or experience events that are emotionally and psychologically overwhelming. These encounters, if unsupported, can lead to compassion fatigue, burnout, and even workforce attrition—all of which directly impact patient safety and care quality.
A 2021 study found that nearly 85% of labor and delivery nurses reported witnessing a traumatic birth. These numbers reflect a clear call to action: we must integrate trauma-informed leadership at the organizational level, not just in patient care protocols.
Using the Six Key Principles of a Trauma-Informed Approach— 1) safety; 2) trustworthiness and transparency; 3) peer support; 4) collaboration and mutuality; 5) empowerment, voice, and choice; and 6) cultural, historical, and gender issues —leaders can begin to build cultures where both patients and providers thrive. Strategies include:
- Structured emotional debriefings following traumatic events
- Education on the emotional toll of trauma exposure
- Assigning peer “listening partners”
- Promoting safe staffing ratios and respectful care
- Cultivating psychological safety and non-punitive error reporting
Read more in this article, Trauma-Responsive Perinatal Leadership, co-authored by MPSC’s Senior Director for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality, Adriane Burgess, for The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing.
At the Maryland Patient Safety Center, we are committed to supporting perinatal leaders and caregivers in fostering environments where trauma-responsive care becomes the norm—for every patient and every team member.
Let’s not wait until trauma breaks us—let’s lead with care.
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