Why Critical Incident Stress Management Teams Matter in Primary Care

Objective: Critical incident stress management (CISM) teams can be adapted in urban primary care clinics to address and process traumatic events in primary care. A guide for implementing the CISM team model within this setting is delineated. Methods: Review of existing literature and guide to implementation of CISM team in primary care. Results: Respondents reported the team validated their reactions to the critical incident and were grateful for CISM presence. Conclusion: Despite indications that vicarious traumatization, burnout, and compassion fatigue are rising (Bodenheimer & Sinsky, 2014; Coles et al., 2013; Woolhouse et al., 2012), there is little information about efforts to address this. Operating and emergency rooms and intensive care units utilize CISM (Maloney 2012; Powers, 2015); however, it's overlooked in primary care (Blacklock, 2012; Naish et al., 2002).