Trauma-informed care (TIC) is defined as practice that acknowledges and adapts to an individual or group's experience of trauma and adopts a precautionary principle to prevent ongoing or new trauma.
Although trauma is often associated with physical injury, it is now widely understood to include significant psychological and emotional harm. Through the TIC Working Group, the college has defined “trauma”, “trauma-informed care”, and the characteristics of a “trauma-informed organisation”. These definitions are tailored to the contexts in which anaesthetists, specialist pain medicine physicians, and those in perioperative medicine practice.
ANZCA continues to explore how trauma-informed principles can be embedded across the organisation—within education and training programs, professional documents, and policy frameworks, as well as through dedicated resources in the ANZCA Library.
Embedding trauma-informed principles across ANZCA’s education, training, and policy frameworks reinforces our commitment to safe, inclusive, and person-centred care. Trauma-informed care is integral to the delivery of culturally safe and culturally relevant practice. It acknowledges the influence of trauma within diverse cultural contexts and promotes healthcare that is respectful, responsive, and reflective of the values, beliefs, and experiences of the communities ANZCA serves.
Definitions
Trauma is defined as a subjective experience resulting from an event, series of events or circumstances that are felt as physically or emotionally harming or overwhelming. Trauma may have long lasting adverse effects.
Noting that trauma and potentially traumatic events are different phenomena. Trauma cannot be inferred solely from having been exposed to a potentially traumatic event(s).
Trauma may overwhelm an individual’s or groups’ usual coping capacity to the extent it may impair their ability to function in daily life, and to engage with health, social and legal support services. It may result in long lasting effects on the individual’s functioning and physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.
A Trauma-informed organisation applies the principles of TIC throughout all its activities. The organisation views its workforce and functions through a trauma-informed lens. By taking a trauma-informed view, an organisation can:
- Support respectful acceptance of an individual’s or a collective group’s trauma or trauma experiences.
- Create and support a culture that promotes well-being based upon the principles of acceptance, choice, safety, collaboration, empowerment and trust.
- Apply the principles of trauma- informed care to support psychological safety in the workplace.
- Meaningfully and with authenticity, translate knowledge about trauma- informed care into policy, procedures and guidelines in the workplace, and into its outputs.
Background paper
To support these definitions, we have developed a background paper which outlines the rationale for this work, along with the underlying principles and benefits of TIC practice.
Integration of trauma-informed care will continue in 2026, in the meantime for further information please reach out to the helpful membership services team at [email protected]