TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - Validation of a screening tool for labor and sex trafficking among emergency department patients
JO  - Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open
A1  - Chisolm-Straker, Makini
A1  - Singer, Elizabeth
A1  - Strong, David
A1  - Loo, George T.
A1  - Rothman, Emily Faith
A1  - Clesca, Cindy
A1  - d'Etienne, James
A1  - Alanis, Naomi
A1  - Richardson, Lynne D.
SP  - e12558
EP  - e12558
VL  - 2
IS  - 5
N2  - OBJECTIVE: Patients with labor and sex trafficking experiences seek healthcare while and after being trafficked. Their trafficking experiences are often unrecognized by clinicians who lack a validated tool to systematically screen for trafficking. We aimed to derive and validate a brief, comprehensive trafficking screening tool for use in healthcare settings. <br><br>METHODS: Patients were randomly selected to participate in this prospective study based on time of arrival. Data collectors administered 5 dichotomous index questions and a reference standard trafficking assessment tool that requires 30 to 60 minutes to administer. Data collection was from June 2016 to January 2021. Data from patients in 5 New York City (NYC) emergency departments (EDs) were used for tool psychometric derivation, and data from patients in a Fort Worth ED were used for external validation. Clinically stable ED adults (aged ≥18 years) were eligible to participate. Candidate questions were selected from the Trafficking Victim Identification Tool (TVIT). The study outcome measurement was a determination of a participant having a lifetime experience of labor and/or sex trafficking based on the interpretation of the reference standard interview, the TVIT. <br><br>RESULTS: Overall, 4127 ED patients were enrolled. In the derivation group, the reference standard identified 36 (1.1%) as positive for a labor and/or sex trafficking experience. In the validation group, 12 (1.4%) were positive by the reference standard. Rapid Appraisal for Trafficking (RAFT) is a new 4-item trafficking screening tool: in the derivation group, RAFT was 89% sensitive (95% confidence interval [CI], 79%-99%) and 74% specific (95% CI, 73%-76%) and in the external validation group, RAFT was 100% sensitive (95% CI, 100%-100%) and 61% specific (95% CI, 56%-65%). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The rapid, 4-item RAFT screening tool demonstrated good sensitivity compared with the existing, resource-intensive reference standard tool. RAFT may enhance the detection of human trafficking in EDs. Additional multicenter studies and research on RAFT's implementation are needed.    Keywords: Human trafficking; <p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2688-1152
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/emp2.12558
ID  - ref1
ER  -