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Guide: Literature Searches

I was asked to do a post on literature searches, and since I’m always harping on the importance of keeping up with the science, I think it’s a good idea. There are many ways to access current literature, so I’ll outline a few here. But before we get to where, let’s take a minute to look at how.

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Weekly Wrap-Up @ the Sustainability Blog (& from SANE-SART)

It’s been a fantastic week here in Seattle. If you saw me, though, it probably wasn’t while I was sitting down–so busy out here! As with many conferences I attend, much of the highlights happened behind the scenes and after hours as I had the opportunity to network with colleagues and see good friends. That being said, there have also been some standout sessions, several of which I have mentioned previously. And today? Without question, Dr. Rebecca Campbell’s presentation of her research on the impact of SANE programs on prosecution. Although the study findings haven’t been published yet, you can find some of her evaluation resources at the sustainability site this week. Also over at the site (and forgive me for the light postings–long days we’ve been having in Seattle):

It was great seeing so many of you out here. Thanks to everyone who stopped and introduced themselves or passed along lovely comments. Back in the CLE next week. Have a great weekend!

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DV/IPV

Management of Domestic Violence

Physicians: The Virtual Lecture Hall has the mother of all online DV continuing education courses: Current Management of Domestic Violence–Responding to IPV. For $20 a credit, you can earn up to 16 AMA/PRA Category 1 credits (or up to 16 AAFP prescribed credits). The course is case-based, with video and narration (check out a sample clip here). CMEs valid through April 2010. Although it was initially crafted in 2004, the site reports updates as recently as summer of ’08.

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Protecting Your Online Presence, Pt. II

Yesterday we talked about Facebook and privacy settings. Today, I want to mention a few other sites people may want to think about as more and more of our lives ends up in the public domain. Being proactive about managing your online presence can protect you down the road when you end up testifying in court, so while some of this may seem over the top, you can never fully anticipate what might come up down the road.

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Sexual Assault

Online Predators

A couple highlights from day 1 of the SANE-SART meeting: John Clune‘s stellar talk on high profile media cases; Tara Henry and Andre Rosay’s research on unconscious victims (PDF) (I only got to stay for half–such good stuff, though); and Dr. Sharon Cooper’s examination of child exploitation.

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Protecting Your Online Presence, Pt. I

Many of us in this profession spend time in court and are used to the challenges of expert testimony. But as people have more and more of a presence online, careless posts, profiles and pics (alliteration! at 5:30 AM!) are surfacing as an issue with increasing frequency. In the talk I’m giving today in Seattle, we’ll be discussing surviving cross examination, and in doing so, discussing the issue of online presence, including the use of social networking sites like Facebook.

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Cause of Death

The National Association of Medical Examiners has 5 cause of death tutorials on their web site. They were published in 2005, so not being a death investigator myself, I’m not sure if there is more current info available on the topic (if you know will you tell us?). The offerings include:

  • Writing Cause of Death Statements–Basic Principles
  • Writing Cause of Death Statements in SIDS
  • Writing Cause of Death Statements Involving Injury or Poisoning
  • Quick Tips on Writing Cause of Death Statements
  • Writing Cause of Death Statements

They’re free of charge and printable, should you decide to share information with other team members.

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An FHO Extra: Medical Algorithms

It’s always when you’re looking for something else entirely that you stumble on to the most fascinating things. Take for instance, Medical Algorithms (www.medal.org), a humble-looking site that is a treasure trove of “Scales, Tools, Assessments, Scoring Systems, and other Algorithms”–13,500 to be exact. The site requires (free) registration to use; they want little more than email, password and profession before you’re in the door.

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Weekly Wrap-Up @ the Sustainability Blog

Next week I will be posting from Seattle where the SANE-SART Conference will be taking place. If you’re going to be there, please stop and say hello. You’ll find me at the NSVRC table in the exhibit hall from time to time, and I will also be teaching 2 sessions (both with the fabulous Roger Canaff): Surviving Cross Examination and Injury Documentation. Before I head out of town, though, here’s a look at what’s going on over at the Sustainability site this week:

Have a great holiday weekend. Hope to see you out west!

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EMTALA

Lippincott, in conjunction with the Journal of Nursing Administration: Healthcare Law, Ethics and Regulation, has an online CE offering on the basics of EMTALA, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. This is an issue near and dear to the hearts of those of us who provide care for sexual assault patients; the nuances of the act are not always well understood. Cost is $24.95 and 2.5 CEUs are available (sorry, no physician hours on this one). The offering is your standard article-posttest format. Be aware: the CE offer expires 9/30/09.

[EMTALA overview]

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Telemedicine Guidance

In chatting with people this week at EVAW, one of the issues that came up several times was the use of telemedicine (or telehealth as some people label it) to enhance forensic clinical practice. Many programs are contemplating using this technology as a way to implement a quality assurance process using more experienced clinicians or to help new clinicians obtain confidence with the clinical exam through remote support and guidance.

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Elder Abuse/Neglect

Bruising in the Elderly

From the Center of Excellence in Elder Abuse and NeglectBruising in Older Adults–Accidental and Inflicted (LINK HAS BEEN FIXED). This podcast reviews two studies about bruising in the elderly and discusses the all important issue of using color to accurately age bruises.

Part of the work of the Center of Excellence is the Elder Abuse Forensic Center. To read about their finding, check out their report in The Gerontologist here. They also have published a PDF with links to images of physical markers of elder abuse, which you can access here.

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Childhood Bullying

Medscape has a new CE offering, Bullied Kids More Likely to Become Psychotic Preteens. It’s in your standard article-posttest format. 0.25 credits are available for both physicians and nurses. The article is based on a published study in the current issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. As with all Medscape offerings, it’s free of charge, but site registration is required.

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Ethics in Victim Services

OVC TTAC has just released an online curriculum, Ethics in Victim Services. It’s a “training designed to explore common ethical conflicts and how to apply ethical standards and decisionmaking to resolve them. Use this download center to gather all the materials you’ll need to conduct the training.” The site consists of 6 training modules and a presenter’s toolbox that includes a customizeable agenda, instructor and participant manuals, Powerpoint slides and vignettes.

Lots of interesting stuff here. Let us know if you end up working with it and how it goes…

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Prostitution, Pt. 1

Prostituted women and children present with some significant healthcare challenges for clinicians. Sexually transmitted infections and traumatic injuries are just a couple of the issues.  At only a few of the conferences I attend does this subject come up; at healthcare-specific conferences, the topic is almost nonexistent. In a cursory search of past abstracts from the American Public Health Association annual meeting for instance, I could only find 3 presentations in the last 10 years specifically focused on prostitution.

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Funding Alert

The newest funding alert (PDF) is available at VAWNet, for those of you interested in such things. In this round:

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Weekly Wrap-Up @ the Sustainability Blog

One of my favorite colleagues is the subject of this week’s Friday Q&A. You’ll definitely want to check out her responses to our questionnaire over at the Sustainability site. Additionally, a few other good topics this week:

BTW, next week I will be presenting at the EVAW conference in Anaheim, California. I’ll be doing a session on sustainability and an evening panel (with a couple esteemed colleagues and friends) on running quality SANE programs regardless of budget. If you’re going to be there, please find me and say hello, or better yet, attend one (or both) of the sessions.

Enjoy your weekend!

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DV/IPV Elder Abuse/Neglect

New Discussion Forums @ TrainingForums.org

TrainingForums.org, a project of Witness Justice, is introducing 3 new discussion forums rolling out this month:

Participation is free, but registration is required.

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Elder Abuse/Neglect

Elder Abuse & Neglect

USC Ageworks has an online tutorial on elder abuse and neglect. It’s a free course and may provide 2.5 CMEs for physicians (sorry, no nursing CEs available), but you’d need to check to see if that’s still an option (the expiration date has passed, but not everyone adheres hard and fast to those dates, and not everyone updates their sites with newer info). Either way, it specifically addresses some forensic issues, and couldn’t be easier to access.

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DV/IPV Sexual Assault

Inbox: Sexting, Pt. II

Looking through my inbox this morning, what do I find but an email alert from Medscape Emergency Medicine with a new article on sexting. This article has a decidedly healthcare bent to it, so I’m including it here. Sadly, there aren’t any CEs attached to it, but since we’ve so recently discussed the topic, I thought it would be a good follow-up.