Health Care Associated Traumatic Stress (HCATS): A Comprehensive Framework of The Systems-Based Trauma Faced By Health Care Professionals
This article introduces the concept of Health Care Associated Traumatic Stress (HCATS) as a comprehensive framework to address the systems-based trauma encountered by healthcare professionals, particularly within the current dysfunctional state of the healthcare system. HCATS seeks to offer a more inclusive understanding of the emotional experience of those delivering clinical care in this challenging environment.
Rather than merely replacing traditional terms such as “burnout” and “moral injury,” HCATS recognizes them as distinct entities and encompasses both while providing a more expansive framework by incorporating primary and secondary trauma experienced in the provision of clinical care. By more adequately encompassing the multifaceted challenges faced by health care professionals, HCATS provides the framework of a unique clinical entity within psychotraumatology which should be approached with a level of consideration akin to our clinical assessment and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Introduction
We are facing an exodus of healthcare professionals from within the health care system and providing direct clinical care to patients…
