[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) › [Mental health and psychiatric nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/areas/mental-health/) › Trauma-informed care and nursing for PTSD and acute stress # Trauma-informed care and nursing for PTSD and acute stress - Safe practice Care for every person as if they may carry trauma: explain, ask before touching, offer choices, protect privacy, be consistent and teach ways to calm the body. Updated Nov 13, 2026 ## Key points - Universal precaution: practise trauma-informed care with everyone, not only with those who disclose trauma. - Introduce yourself and your role at every contact; give anticipatory guidance before any procedure. - Ask before touching and watch for flinching, tears or shrinking away; offer choices and control. - Protect privacy: ask the patient in private who they want in the room; do not leave that burden to them. - Arousal signs: easily startled, on edge, poor sleep, angry outbursts; flashbacks can come with racing heart and sweating. - Teach self-regulation: slow breathing, progressive muscle relaxation and other calming methods. ## What it is Trauma can leave the body stuck in the «fight, flight or freeze» response, and care itself can trigger it. Trauma-informed care applies the six principles described by SAMHSA (safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support; collaboration; empowerment, voice and choice; cultural, historical and gender issues) to every patient, without requiring them to disclose a trauma history. For a person with PTSD or acute stress, the nurse also recognises re-experiencing, avoidance and arousal symptoms, keeps care predictable and teaches self-regulation skills. ## What it requires - Open, non-threatening body position and a calm environment. - Clear, consistent messages about roles, rules and services. - Plain language with information in small chunks and teach-back. - Screening for safety (violence at home), suicide risk and substance use, with referral. ## Components - Principles: safety, trust, peer support, collaboration, empowerment, cultural awareness. - Everyday practices: introductions, anticipatory guidance, consent to touch, privacy. - PTSD and acute stress: symptom recognition, triggers, sleep. - Self-regulation and referral to trauma-focused therapy. ## How it is applied (and why) - Introduce yourself and explain your role each time — a nameless caregiver feels threatening and confusing. - Explain what will happen, step by step, before you start — surprises activate the stress response. - Ask permission before touching, especially sensitive areas, and stop if the person shows discomfort — touch can trigger memories and dissociation. - Keep an open, non-threatening body position and avoid hemming the person in — care situations can feel like being trapped. - Ask privately who the person wants present and ask others to leave — patients may not feel safe to ask themselves. - Give information in small chunks, in plain words, and check understanding with teach-back — a triggered brain does not take in new information well. - Notice triggers and arousal signs, and teach slow breathing and muscle relaxation to use before and during hard moments — these calm the body's alarm system. - Assess safety, suicide risk and substance use, and refer to trauma-focused therapy and support services — PTSD needs specific treatment. ## In nursing practice - Symptoms within one month of the event suggest acute stress disorder; lasting more than a month with impairment, PTSD. - Trauma survivors are more likely to have depression, anxiety and substance use: screen for them. - Disruptive behaviour during care may be a trauma response, not defiance. - When intimate partner violence is suspected, talk alone with the person and follow the institutional route for violence. ## Common mistakes - Asking someone to retell the trauma in detail when it is not needed for care. - Touching without asking first. - Discussing the person's history in front of relatives without consent. - Labelling a startled or angry reaction as «bad behaviour». ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## What does «universal precaution» mean in trauma-informed care? Giving trauma-informed care to every patient whether or not they have disclosed trauma, rather than relying on direct trauma screening. ## Why should the nurse ask before touching a patient? Touch may have been part of a past trauma and can trigger fight, flight or freeze and dissociation; asking gives the person choice and control. ## Which are the arousal symptoms of PTSD? Being easily startled, feeling tense or on edge, difficulty sleeping and angry outbursts. [Add to my cards (3)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/nursing/trauma-informed-care-and-nursing-for-ptsd-and-acute-stress/) ## Elsewhere in DurgiPedia - [Coping and resilience](https://durgical.com/en/behavioral-science/coping-and-resilience/) ## Connections ## Related 2 - [Crisis intervention: the phases and the nurse's role](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/crisis-intervention-the-phases-and-the-nurse-s-role/) - [Gender-based and intimate-partner violence: asking, safety planning and activating the care route](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/gender-based-and-intimate-partner-violence-asking-safety-planning-and-activating/) ## Related conditions 3 - [Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-and-acute-stress-disorder/) - [Adjustment disorder](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/adjustment-disorder/) - [Intimate partner and sexual violence (mental-health care)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/intimate-partner-and-sexual-violence/) [← All of nursing](https://durgical.com/en/nursing/) Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order. Sources: [Nursing: Mental Health and Community Concepts, 15.3: Trauma-informed care](https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Nursing/Nursing%3A_Mental_Health_and_Community_Concepts_(OpenRN)/15%3A_Trauma_Abuse_and_Violence/15.03%3A_Trauma-Informed_Care) (Open RN, Wisconsin Technical College System (CC BY 4.0), LibreTexts, 2022); [Nursing: Mental Health and Community Concepts, 9.6: Post-traumatic stress disorder](https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Nursing/Nursing%3A_Mental_Health_and_Community_Concepts_(OpenRN)/09%3A_Anxiety_Disorders/9.06%3A_Post-Traumatic_Stress_Disorder) (Open RN, Wisconsin Technical College System (CC BY 4.0), LibreTexts, 2022). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/nursing/trauma-informed-care-and-nursing-for-ptsd-and-acute-stress/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/nursing/trauma-informed-care-and-nursing-for-ptsd-and-acute-stress/