The Fight Against Modern Slavery
Document Type
Presentation
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Publication Date
2022-4
Abstract
The Emergency Department (ED) often serves as a point of contact between victims of human trafficking and the healthcare system. Although research shows that victims seek care in the ED, victims have reported a lack of screening and interventions for sex trafficking victims. Healthcare workers are trained individuals who can facilitate the identification of victims and connect victims to resources. This scholarly project aims to analyze studies of pediatric and adult EDs across America that have implemented screening tools in EDs. Xavier University’s EBSCOHost database provided the authors with research studies. The authors narrowed the search to include peer-reviewed articles from the United States published in the last five years. The literature review indicated that pediatric hospitals were using a validated screening tool developed by Greenbaum et al. This screening tool contains six questions, which is user-friendly and easy to implement in the ED setting. There is not a validated screening tool for EDs to screen adults. The various screening tools assisted and increased the identification of sex trafficking victims. However, several patients throughout the studies screened negative for trafficking but were determined to be victims of trafficking by a physician or social work interview. This scholarly project concluded that implementing screening tools in the ED is feasible and leads to identifying human trafficking victims. Pediatric EDs are finding success using a validated screening tool, but there is currently no validated screening tool for adult ED use. Several studies indicate that a simple one to five-question screening tool could receive validation to use in the ED setting.
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