However we choose to define it, dealing with crisis is a core aspect of our work as general practitioners.
Obviously, traumatic events happen to everyone in some form and at some time, and we all respond differently. The horror of large-scale trauma such as wars, conflicts and terror attacks, whether at home or abroad, affects us all.
Many of us are members of, and care for people who are part of, the communities directly affected by such horrors whether they occur in Australia or elsewhere. And we are all witness to trauma through news, social media and global communication.
Then there is the less visible, even invisible, trauma that affects our local communities, families and individual patients, and we all deal with this in our clinics regularly.
Trauma-informed care provides a framework for us to support our patients, our communities and ourselves. College resources are available online ( www.racgp.org.au/care-during-crisis and www.racgp.org.au/wellbeing).
Australian Journal of General Practice