Human Trafficking Education and Assessment for Medical Students

Introduction: Victims of human trafficking experience health problems, with a recent study suggesting that 87.8% of victims had been in contact with a health care professional while they were trafficked.  This places medical professionals in a unique position to interact with victims.  Consequently, it is imperative that professionals acquire the skills to detect and care for these victims.  This study aimed to determine whether an educational intervention increased medical students’ awareness of human trafficking and altered their attitudes towards detecting and reporting victims.

Methods: The study was conducted with 98 students at OUWB School of Medicine.  Participants listened to a presentation on recognizing and reporting victims of human trafficking, and complete a pre and post-session survey.  Pre/Post survey questions were analyzed to assess alterations in responses.  The outcomes evaluated were awareness of the crime, confidence identifying a potential victim, and willingness to report a victim.  Additional information was gathered to assess students’ opinions towards further interventions.

Results: Mean differences in pre-post scores on 4 item likert scale questions were evaluated, with positive differences showing an improvement in the concept being measured. Matched pairs t-tests found significant improvement (p<0.001) in responses to questions related to awareness of human trafficking (Mean Difference=0.61, SD=0.57), confidence in ability to detect a potential victim Mean Difference=1.59, SD=0.79), and self-reported willingness to report a potential victim (Mean Difference=0.54, SD=0.79).

Conclusion: The use of an educational intervention increased medical students’ knowledge of human trafficking, as well a their confidence in detecting and willingness to report potential victims.