Update on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Implications for Acute and Critical Care APRNs

Approximately 6% of the adult population in the United States suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and nearly 15 million new cases are reported each year.¹  Posttraumatic stress disorder is a complex clinical condition that can severely impair a patient’s recovery from acute or critical illness and involves poor physical function and quality of life after hospitalization. Because of the complexity of its clinical presentation and its multiple etiologic and risk factors, PTSD is often unrecognized by health care professionals—including nurses and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs)—without a formal educational and training background in the diagnosis and management of patients with PTSD. In acute and critical care units, patients are typically admitted for nonpsychiatric diagnoses; therefore nurses and APRNs may be unaware that the illness and hospitalization experience per se are forms of traumatic events and risk factors for developing PTSD.²  This article aims to increase awareness about...