ACEP Partners With OVW, OVC And IAFN On Two National Publications

Over the past 2 years, ACEP has partnered with the Office for Violence Against Women (OVW), Office for Victims’ of Crime (OVC), and the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) on two important, sexual assault related publications. This was the first time ACEP and OVC worked together on such an endeavor. The ACEP logo appears on both publications as a partner in the projects. I had the pleasure of representing ACEP and the Forensic Medicine Section on both projects.

First, OVW sponsored the development of A National Protocol for Sexual Abuse Medical Forensic Examinations: Pediatric. The project was led by Diane Diaber, RN, Pediatric Training Specialist of IAFN. Several leading experts on pediatric sexual assault including, physicians, forensic nurses, advocates, and therapists, served as the Advisory Committee for the project. The protocol is the companion to the previous released National Protocol for Adult/Adolescent Examinations.

The protocol is a guide for (1) health care providers who conduct sexual abuse medical forensic examinations of prepubescent children; and (2) other professionals and agencies/facilities involved in an initial community response to child sexual abuse, in coordinating with health care providers to facilitate medical forensic care.

In addition, the project created the Pediatric Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner Technical Assistance program (KidsTA) which is a technical assistance program for those taking caring of pediatric SA victims. The guide can be found at here.

The second publication was sponsored by OVC and resulted in the online publication of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program Development Guide.  The purpose of the SANE Program Development and Operation Guide (Guide) is to provide a blueprint for nurses and communities that would like to start a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program. For communities with existing SANE programs, the Guide serves as a resource to help expand or enhance services provided to the community. This Guide is designed to both complement and integrate resources that already exist, such as the National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations, the International Association of Forensic Nurses SANE Education Guidelines, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center SANE Sustainability Project, the American College of Emergency Room Physicians Evaluation and Management of the Sexually Assaulted or Sexually Abused Patient, and the Office for Victims of Crime SART Toolkit.

This project was led by Susan Chasson, JD, MSN, SANE-A, SANE Coordinator Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and the Executive Committee: Kim Day, RN, SANE-A, SANE-P; Jennifer Pierce-Weeks RN, SANE-A, SANE-P (both from IAFN); Jennifer Shewmake (OVC Training and Technical Assistance Center); and Ralph Riviello, MD, MS, FACEP.  The planning committee consisted of multi-disciplinary professionals including physicians, forensic nurses, tribal officials, prosecutors, advocates, law enforcement, and social services representatives.

The guide is an interactive website that includes text, videos, and links to important related websites and resources. The guide is divided into five sections: Patient-Centered Care, Trauma-Informed Care, Evidence-Based Practice, Recognition of Community Uniqueness, and Multi-Disciplinary Approach.

The guide is located here.

Ralph J. Riviello, MD, MS, FACEP