Assistance to victims of violence in Emergency services from the Forensic Nursing perspective.

OBJECTIVE: to analyze nurses' role in collecting, identifying and preserving traces in Emergency care for victims of violence, from the perspective of these professionals. METHOD: a qualitative study with an exploratory and descriptive approach. It was developed through semi-structured interviews with 21 nurses from hospitals that are part of the intersectoral flow to assist victims of violence from two reference hospitals in this type of care, in a capital city from southern Brazil. Nurses that are members of the multiprofessional team working in the Emergency areas at the respective hospitals were included; in turn, the exclusion criteria corresponded to professionals relocated in Emergency areas during the pandemic. Data analysis was performed according to Thematic Content Analysis. RESULTS: the data were discussed in five categories: 1) Professional qualification; 2) Institutional protocol and materials; 3) The professionals' perceptions; 4) The professionals' actions; and 5) Team structure. CONCLUSION: Nursing professionals' skills in collecting, identifying and preserving traces in Emergency assistance provided to victims of violence need to be better organized, structured and standardized. The presence of Nursing professionals in the care of victims of violence in Emergency services is undeniable, but their importance is still underestimated and their potential contribution to the forensic approach is underused.

Enacting an "Empowerment Approach" After Sexual Assault: The Views and Beliefs of Forensic Nurse Examiners and Crisis Support Workers.

BACKGROUND: Sexual violence is a profoundly disempowering experience. It is essential that survivors are offered access to comprehensive medical care, psychological support, and follow-up in a way that offers them a high level of choice and control. AIMS: There has been little research into how practitioners working in the context of immediate postassault understand empowerment and reflect this in their care delivery. This study sought to explore how crisis support workers and forensic nurse examiners conceive how they enact an "empowerment approach" in a sexual assault referral center (SARC) in the United Kingdom. METHODS: A phenomenological approach was taken, and data were gathered through focus groups and interviews. FINDINGS: Themes were identified under the headings of "indicators of empowerment," "empowerment as a process," and "the empowerment approach." CONCLUSION: As part of providing person-centered care that enacts an empowering approach within the SARC setting, professionals need the skills and resources to be able to respond flexibly to their clients. They have a role in addressing victim blaming of those subjected to sexual violence and in promoting the accessibility of SARC services.

Problematic Sexualized Behavior in Children: Essentials for the Pediatric Forensic Nurse.

ABSTRACT: Problematic sexual behavior (PSB) in children and adolescents is a significant public health problem. PSB is defined as harmful or developmentally inappropriate behaviors involving sexual organs or regions of the body exhibited by children or adolescents. PSB may be harmful to self or others or be abusive toward another child, adolescent, or adult. Adolescents, typically defined as children 12 years old or older, engaging in PSB can be vulnerable to formal court adjudication as their behaviors may be considered a sexual offense. PSB can result in significant negative consequences for all children and adolescents involved as well as their families. This article will describe sexual behavior in children, normative and problematic, and explore implications for forensic nursing practice.

Ethical Expert Witness Testimony.

Forensic nurses are routinely called upon to provide expert consultation and witness testimony. Nearly half of the enumerated standards in the Forensic Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice reference competencies directly related or complementary to ethical testimony. Requests from the field, coupled with the increasing opportunities for forensic nurses to serve as expert witnesses, necessitate the development of clear parameters for ethical expert witness testimony.

Forensic Nursing.

These nurses practice where the health and legal systems intersect.

Development and evaluation of a forensic nursing competency-based hybrid simulation education program: A quasi-experimental design.

AIM: This study aimed to develop and validate the effectiveness of a hybrid simulation education program designed to enhance the forensic nursing competency of emergency department nurses. BACKGROUND: Emergency nurses often bear the responsibility of conducting forensic nursing assessments and interventions, such as patient recognition and evidence collection, to safeguard patients' legal rights, given their frequent encounters with emergency department patients. Simulation methods have proven effective in training for forensic nursing care. However, there is still a need for the development of forensic nursing education using simulation methods. DESIGN: This study employed a one-group pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design. A four-hour simulation education program was developed based on the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation model, with a focus on enhancing forensic nursing competency. METHODS: Nurses with more than six months of clinical experience in the emergency department in South Korea were divided into an experimental group (n=23) and a baseline comparison group (n=24). Both groups completed self-evaluations of their forensic nursing competency through a survey. The experimental group underwent the simulation education program, and their forensic nursing performance was evaluated before and after the program. Following the training, participants completed a questionnaire to assess their forensic nursing competency and satisfaction with the program. RESULTS: The initial forensic nursing competency of the experimental and baseline comparison groups was found to be similar. However, the forensic nursing competency and performance of the experimental group exhibited significant improvement after the training. Regarding program evaluation, the average scores on a 5-point scale were as follows: theoretical lecture (4.79 SD 0.27), simulation education (4.78 SD 0.29), simulation design (4.42 SD 0.45), and satisfaction with the educational program (4.82 SD 0.28). CONCLUSIONS: The forensic nursing competency-based simulation education program herein improved the relevant competency and performance of emergency nurses.

Forensic Nursing competencies in disasters situations: scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: To map sources of technical-scientific information on Forensic Nursing competencies in disasters situations. METHOD: Scoping review developed in accordance with the JBI methodology, carried out in three stages by two reviewers independently on selected databases and gray literature, using keywords and descriptors. After reading them in full, we proceeded with data extraction and content analysis of 28 publications. RESULTS: Identified 24 publications in English, 20 of which were produced in the United States of America. 24 competencies of forensic nurses in disasters situations were mapped, including: training; resource management; link with the justice service; direct care; psycho-emotional care; collection and preservation of traces; registration and documentation with photography; body management; maintenance of the chain of custody; and epidemiological surveillance. CONCLUSION: The forensic nurse acts in all phases of disasters with the affected people, families and communities, under an interdisciplinary perspective. The development of competencies aimed at the practice of Forensic Nursing in disasters should be incorporated into the training strategies of these professionals, in order to obtain better response standards.

Clinical Decision Making in Forensic Nursing: A Cross-Sectional Study From an Emergency Nursing Perspective.

BACKGROUND: Appropriate clinical decision making (CDM) is very important for emergency nurses when working with forensic patients with violence-related injuries and can improve patient outcomes. Therefore, it is essential for emergency nurses to have the basic skills to make the right clinical decisions when working with forensic patients. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the CDM of emergency nurses when caring for forensic patients. METHODS: This study was conducted using a cross-sectional design. Nurses working in the seven emergency departments of Rasht hospitals, Guilan Province, Iran, were recruited to take part in the study. Data collection was performed via census sampling from September to November 2019. Data were collected via a two-part questionnaire developed by the researcher(s) that addressed (a) demographic characteristics and (b) simulated scenarios that assessed their CDM in caring for forensic patients. FINDINGS: One hundred ninety-two emergency nurses participated in this study. The mean score of CDM in forensic nursing was moderate (56.46; 95% CI [54.49, 58.43]). Of the participants, 60.42% of the emergency nurses had moderate CDM knowledge related to forensic nursing, whereas only 2.8% had desirable knowledge of CDM. There was a statistically significant relationship between CDM in forensic nursing and the history of encountering forensic patients ( p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: CDM scores regarding emergency nurses' knowledge of forensic nursing were moderate. Knowledge of and CDM in forensic nursing is very important and provides high-quality safe care for forensic patients. IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL FORENSIC NURSING PRACTICE: This study highlights the importance of additional education and professional development in forensic nursing, for emergency nurses, and should be considered further by nursing administrators and nursing educators.

A Trauma-Informed Mentoring Framework for Forensic Nurses: An Overview of STEERR-Structure, Process, and Evaluation.

ABSTRACT: The STEERR Mentoring Framework, grounded in decolonized and feminist mentorship approaches, integrates foundational principles of mentoring with the unique and complex characteristics of the role of the forensic nurse. The primary objective of the program is to support a competent, sustainable, and resilient forensic nursing workforce. In this article, we describe the development process, framework structure, and evaluation approach implemented within a 1-year pilot initiative focused on forensic nurses in the sexual assault nurse examiner role. We reflect on strategies for broader application and replication in forensic nursing programs across the United States.

An Account From a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner on Caring for a Transgender Survivor: A Case Report.

ABSTRACT: Transgender individuals represent a gender minority population that has been underserved within the healthcare system and underrepresented in population health and sexuality research, specifically as it pertains to sexual assault. This case report aims to explore how sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) approach the care of transgender people who have survived sexual assault. Key components and findings related to the SANE's encounter will be examined including an evaluation of the biases and assumptions held by the SANE and other healthcare providers. Concepts such as cisnormativity, heteronormativity, and intersectionality will be examined in terms of how these can shape the experience of the survivor, influence the care provided by SANEs, and interact with gender stereotypes and nonaffirming practices faced by transgender people. This case report highlights the importance of acknowledging and undermining nursing approaches that can (re)traumatize sexual assault survivors and explores ways in which SANEs can help to shift views of gender and bodies with the goal of providing better care for gender minority populations.

Advancing Health Equity Through Graduate Forensic Nursing Education.

ABSTRACT: Social justice is a core value of nursing and is deeply rooted within forensic nursing. Forensic nurses are uniquely positioned to examine and address social determinants of health that contribute to victimization, lack of access to forensic nursing services, and inability to utilize resources and services aimed at restoring health after an injury or illness related to trauma or violence. To achieve this, forensic nursing capacity and expertise must be strengthened through robust education. A graduate, forensic nursing, program sought to address this educational need by integrating content related to social justice, health equity, health disparity, and social determinants of health throughout its specialty curriculum.

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Education Needs in Texas.

ABSTRACT: Background: As with many areas of the nation, Texas lacks a robust sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) workforce. A program in Texas offers courses to educate and expand SANE skills to better provide trauma-informed care to vulnerable populations. Methods: A survey to stakeholders of a SANE educational program, as part of a planned program evaluation, elicited not only barriers to providing care but also specific program needs to better expand access to sexual assault and domestic violence medical forensic examinations in Texas. Results: In January 2022, a total of 40 stakeholders, all registered nurses in the state of Texas, provided vital information on their current program. Analysis of written survey responses provided themes regarding barriers to providing SANE care and suggestions for expanded education. Discussion: The survey provided valuable feedback and comments on the perceptions of the current SANE program. Written responses offered direction for additional learning desires of SANEs associated with the program as well as areas for the program to expand to meet the needs of the learners. This stakeholder guidance has implications beyond this one SANE education program to enhance and expand other programs based on learner needs.

Improving the Forensic Documentation of Injuries Through Alternate Light: A Researcher-Practitioner Partnership.

ABSTRACT: An alternate light source (ALS) is a practitioner-driven technology that can potentially improve the documentation of injuries among victims of interpersonal violence. However, evidence-based guidelines are needed to incorporate and document an ALS skin assessment into a forensic medical examination that accurately reflects the science, context of forensic nursing practice, trauma-informed responses, and potential impact on criminal justice stakeholders. This article introduces the forensic nursing community to a current translation-into-practice project focused on developing and evaluating an ALS implementation program to improve the assessment and documentation of bruises among adult patients with a history of interpersonal violence. Our researcher-practitioner collaboration uses theory-based approaches that consider both the developed program's practice context and stakeholder impact. The goal is to provide evidentiary support for adult victims of violence and a more equitable forensic nursing practice that benefits diverse patient populations.