All behavior is communication, but with children who have been traumatized, it can be difficult to know what they are saying. Through an innovative project, pediatric practices around the state are learning to decode what these children are saying. The Institute for Health Policy and Practice at UNH with expertise from the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth and funding from the New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation is bringing proven strategies and resources in quality improvement science to help healthcare providers take the steps to improve care during routine well-child checks.
Felicity Bernard, the Director of the New Hampshire Pediatric Improvement Partnership (NH PIP) talk about how the project is helping pediatric practices look beyond what a child presents during a visit to understand how they feel and respond to stress and why it’s important for pediatricians to identify that a child has been exposed to traumatic events and to refer them to services in the community which can support children and families who need it.