Patient compliance, defined as the degree to which a patient correctly follows medical advice or treatment regimens, is a persistent challenge in healthcare. Traditional models of compliance often overlook the underlying psychosocial and historical factors affecting patients’ abilities to engage in care. A trauma-informed lens recognizes that past traumatic experiences can deeply influence present-day health behaviors, patient-provider relationships, and ultimately compliance with treatment.

Burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress (STS) are related but distinct constructs that describe different responses to stress and trauma within therapeutic settings. Burnout is generally defined as a state of chronic workplace stress involving emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment.

Trauma is a profound disruption in someone’s sense of safety, typically following exposure to events that are physically or emotionally...