Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41092546›Full record

SynthesisPatient education and counseling2026

Patient-clinician communication in longitudinal care settings about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adult traumas: A systematic review of reviews.

Anita S Hargrave-Bouagnon, Jessica Escober, Genesis Talavera, Deirdre Bernard-Pearl, Beth E Cohen, Dean Schillinger

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Patient education and counseling, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Zero Tolerance for Patient-Perpetrated Sexual Harassment.Journal of general internal medicine · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Anita S Hargrave-BouagnonDepartment of Internal Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California, USA; UCSF Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), California, USA; Action Research Center (ARC) for Health Equity, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California, USA. Electronic address: anita.hargrave@ucsf.edu.
Jessica EscoberDepartment of Internal Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California, USA.
Genesis TalaveraDepartment of Internal Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California, USA.
Deirdre Bernard-PearlDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), California, USA.
Beth E CohenSan Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System, San Francisco, California, USA; Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California San Francisco (UCSF)San Francisco, California, USA.
Dean SchillingerDepartment of Internal Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California, USA; UCSF Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), California, USA.

Funding

University of California, San Francisco/Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) K12 ProgramK12AR084219 · NIAMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI Monica Gandhi, CYNTHIA C HARPER · 2023 to 2026
$3.1M
NIAMS NIH HHS K12 AR084219
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveSynthesize the literature on strategies for clinician communication or relationship-building during longitudinal care visits with adult patients who have had adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and/or other traumas later in life.

methodsSystematic searches of literature reviews from 2012 to 2022 using CINAHL, PubMed, Cochrane Database, and Web of Science and Sociological Abstracts. Search terms reflected three key concepts: 1) Trauma (i.e., trauma, interpersonal violence, adverse childhood experiences), 2) Patient-provider communication/relationship-building (i.e., communication), and 3) Longitudinal patient care (primary care). Three researchers independently reviewed each title, abstract, and article to determine relevance and completed methodological quality appraisal using the AMSTAR-2 framework. Thematic analysis was used to identify key learning points and gaps in the literature.

resultsWe screened 1158 articles and included 39 manuscripts: 15 % (n = 6) of the manuscripts discussed ACEs, 49 % (n = 19) discussed adult traumas, and 36 % (n = 14) discussed trauma-informed care (TIC) approaches with both or no age determination of exposure to trauma. Themes related to the role of screening, strategies to optimize communication, the importance of resources and institutional support, and associated health outcomes. According to the AMSTAR-2, most of the studies had low or critically low methodological quality.

conclusionCommunication with clinicians about traumatic experiences shows potential benefit to adult primary care patients. Future research rigorously evaluating training on and implementation of best practices in trauma communication is needed. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Clinician- and systems-level readiness to respond to and engage in conversations about traumatic experiences with adult primary care patients requires organizational support, including sustained intervention efforts, trauma communication training, and resource allocation.

Indexed as

Adverse Childhood ExperiencesCommunicationPhysician-Patient RelationsAdultHumansPrimary Health CareACEsCommunicationPatient-clinician relationshipPrimary careSystematic reviewTraumaTrauma-informed care

Identifiers

PMID41092546
PMCPMC12815604

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.