The mock clinical interview was conducted with a classmate who played the part of a trauma patient, answering the questions as a victim of physical assault. Before commencing the interview, I subjected my patient to medical assessment involving the assessment of injuries and any damage that may have been caused to the patient. Medical assessment and running of tests is a major step recommended that medical practitioners subject trauma patients prior to asking questions (Loewy, Niendam & Wadell, 2019). The procedure is meant to review any possible need for medical attention and to help put down a statement that will be admissible in a court of law in case of a suit. The injuries on the patient were subjected to treatment. The patient was subjected to anti-bleeding medication and a few stitches done to close on wounds endured in the assault. Treating wounds of a trauma patient helps improve their confidence in the clinical practitioner, reduces their fear and anxiety, and subsequently makes them open their hearts for the clinical assessment yet to commence.
The patient was in shock, fear, anger, and mood swings, and that was very clear right from the first eye contact. The physical injuries increased the fear and shock that moved the patient. Trauma patients tend to exhibit various uneasy characteristics that medical practitioners ought to be aware of, and they include fear, anxiety, and restlessness (Olufajo et al., 2016). Being informed of such characteristics enabled me to develop the necessary patience that was also necessary for the clinical assessment. It was very much necessary to extract as much information from the patient as much as possible. I presented the questions to the patient in a systematic way, trying to understand the situation of the interviewee. I expressed my sympathy and concern to the event that occurred to the patient, wished him well, and that he would recover quickly from the incident. For every question I asked, I elaborated them, posing the questions more than once to give the interviewee the opportunity to get the question clearly and to synthesize them well. This was necessary for ensuring that the patient offered accurate and informed responses to each of the questions, one after another. Moreover, I explained each question to help the interviewee understand them, giving answer suggestions, and reframing the questions for the interviewee. This was also necessary because so many thoughts go through the mind of a trauma victim, and they are often not good shape to think straight (Owor & Kobusingye, 2001). In certain instances, I avoided certain questions that looked too sensitive or reframed them to look better and in a form that would not add to the trauma in the patient.
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The interviewee answered most of the questions with accurate answers. Nevertheless, he had high feelings in certain instances, and I had to pause and cool him down. As mentioned before, such emotions are common characteristics of trauma patients, and thus there is a need to understand their condition. I occasionally paused to console the interviewee, give them hope for justice and continuation of life. The interviewee had not been a victim of trauma from childhood and thus the difficulty in handling the feelings he was experiencing. On the question of substance abuse, the interviewee acknowledged that he had contemplated using excessive alcohol to ease his feelings and get away from the pain. Nevertheless, he never fell to that. The patient also answered to the affirmative, the question of whether he had contemplated suicide. Suicidal thoughts are very common with patients undergoing trauma, especially youths and young adults. The interviewee exhibited shame in expressing his suicidal thoughts and the extent of those thoughts. Fortunately, he had shared the thoughts with family and close friends and was lucky to find a solution to such thoughts. He had been widely advised that suicide was not a solution to trauma. In my own assessment, I saw his strength, his regrets with the thoughts, and the positivity that those thoughts would not overcome him again.
Interview Questions on Trauma Patient
I am very sorry for what happened to you, it is my hope that you come to terms with the occurrence and drive your life ahead.
People experiencing trauma may have been victims of other traumatic situations before. Has this happened in your life? Have you been a victim of other traumatic events?
If yes, did it cause you similar feelings to the ones you are experiencing now?
Can you remember your exact thoughts during such traumatic events as a child and now? What exactly crossed your mind when it happened?
Where did the event causing trauma occur?
Did the traumatic feelings come to you instantly? If NOT, after what period did you start having the feelings.
How were the feelings characterized?
What symptoms do you feel now?
Did you suffer from physical injuries?
Did you find access to medical attention?
Have you made an attempt on drug and substance abuse to kill the trauma? Which drug did you use to cure feelings? What dosage have you used so far?
Has any legal action been taken from the trauma? How exactly do the legal procedures affect you and your feelings?
Do you blame anyone or anything for the event causing trauma? Yourself, the environment, the perpetrator of the event, friend, family, etc.
Have you experienced any health problems caused by the trauma?
Do you feel safe in the same environment and around the same people where the trauma event occurred?
What effort has been put by the people around you against this trauma? Do you see them as supportive enough?
Have you had suicidal thoughts? How bad were the thoughts? How far did you go with those thoughts? Do you still have the same thoughts?
References
Loewy, R. L., Niendam, T., & Wadell, P. (2019). Assessing and Treating Trauma in Team-Based Early Psychosis Care. Intervening Early in Psychosis: A Team Approach , 151.
Olufajo, O. A., Metcalfe, D., Rios-Diaz, A., Lilley, E., Havens, J. M., Kelly, E., ... & Cooper, Z. (2016). Does Hospital Experience Rather than Volume Improve Outcomes in Geriatric Trauma Patients?. Journal of the American College of Surgeons , 223 (1), 32-40.
Owor, G., & Kobusingye, O. C. (2001). Trauma registries as a tool for improved clinical assessment of trauma patients in an urban African hospital. East and Central African Journal of Surgery , 6 (1).
