Trauma-informed sexual and reproductive healthcare in primary care: exploring general practitioners' knowledge and experiences

One in five Australian women experience sexual violence, while one in three Australian girls experience childhood sexual abuse. Women and girls who have experienced sexual trauma are more likely to have an unintended pregnancy and to seek abortion services than those who have not. The provision of trauma-informed care (TIC) is critical to supporting women with a history of trauma to access sexual and reproductive healthcare without experiencing additional primary trauma or becoming re-traumatised. For many women, primary healthcare providers such as general practitioners (GPs) are the first point of contact when seeking abortion and other reproductive healthcare services. As such, most, if not all, primary healthcare providers will interact with a patient who has a history of sexual trauma. To that end, understanding GPs preparedness to provide trauma-informed reproductive healthcare, including their knowledge and application of TIC, is critical to ensuring that women with a history of trauma can access reproductive healthcare services without the threat of further trauma. The aim of this project is to explore GPs knowledge and understanding of trauma-informed sexual and reproductive healthcare, with a particular focus on abortion care.