As part of the process of writing a book chapter on injuries obtained during consensual sexual intercourse, I put together a grid of the research that looks at this issue. I figured I’d go ahead and post it after some lengthy conversation today during a 2 hour Q&A session with Army defense counsel. Understanding what the research does (and doesn’t say) about this topic is incredibly useful, although, to be clear, the research is still somewhat limited.
MNCASA’s Sexual Violence Justice Institute is hosting a webinar September 27th, from 12-1:30 CT– Victim-Centered: We’ve Heard the Term, But What Does It Mean? This is the 3rd part of their series, Beyond Protocols: How SARTs Can Influence the Justice-Making Process for Sexual Assault Victims/Survivors. You can register for the session here.
Sorry to be article-heavy this week, but this month’s issue of Pediatrics has several relevant free, full-text articles available that I thought readers might be interested in. You’ll find the links after the jump.
Over at Medscape Nursing, they have an interesting question posed in their legal column: Can I get fired for defending myself against violence at work? The author who responds to this question makes some nice points, and it’s concise and practical. Particularly for our colleagues in the emergency department, this is a very real issue. And to be clear, not just violence committed by patients and their families and friends, but also violence from colleagues (sadly). Certainly worth a perusal.
There’s been a lot of chatter about the Senate Subcommittee hearing being held today, Rape in the United States: The Chronic Failure to Report and Investigate Rape Cases. It’s being webcast live (as I type this, actually), and I’m assuming you’ll be able to view it after the fact on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s website. (UPDATE: It is available, just click the link on the right hand side of their page)
I’m running off to Maxwell AFB, and then back to DC for the week, but before I go, time once again for this month’s edition of Articles of Note. All of these are from the August/September/October issues and electronic previews. Please note, we have one full-text article available this month, and a link to an entire journal, which is new. Trust me, you’ll want to check it out if your interests veer toward elder abuse. As always, please keep in mind this in no way a comprehensive list; simply items that have caught my attention from a selection of peer-reviewed journals. Most links lead to PubMed abstracts; from there you can choose what’s worth a.) paying for; b.) a pilgrimage to your nearest medical library; or c.) downloading via the full-text access you possibly have at your disposal.
In my professional travels, one topic that frequently arises is that of false allegations of sexual assault. There is a widespread, but incorrect belief that this is common, and that women in particular, will frequently lie about sexual assault as a response to, say, “regretted” sex or infidelity.
First off, a thank you to everyone on the testimony webinar yesterday. What a fantastic turnout! And some really great questions, as well.
Over at NCPTC, they have a webinar next week on suggestability. It will take place September 16th at 3pm CT, and cost is $10. I’m not a peds person, but I looked at the slides (PDF), and I have to confess, I found the research and the discussion in them pretty fascinating.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge TED fan. I frequently go there for inspiration, and I am in some serious need of just that very thing today. This short (3 min) talk is about how to start a movement. It’s brilliant, thought-provoking, and spins leadership in a whole new direction. Plus it’s incredibly entertaining. I hope you enjoy it. Particularly if you’re in need of a little inspiration yourself.
I have several things piling up in my odds and ends file, so I thought I’d take the time to put a few of them out there. Today’s a bit of a disjointed day as I try to play catch up from the month of August, so while I was hoping to get a September Articles of Note up, I’m afraid that will have to wait until later in the week. However, stay tuned, because we also have a new giveaway coming up soon from our friends at GW Medical.
I have just completed what I would consider a marathon summer of travel (64 days living out of a suitcase, although thankfully some of it was working from my beloved mountain house). This being Labor Day weekend, I’m going to officially call the summer travel season done. In looking back at where I’ve been between Memorial Day and today, allow me to share (in no particular order) some of my favorite places, should you find yourself on the road, as well:
IAFN‘s 4th webinar of the year will take place September 21st from 2-3pm ET: Sexual Assault Examinations in Deceased Patients. The always fantastic Tara Henry will be teaching this one, so I highly recommend registering. Cost of the session is $40 for members ($50 for non-members, and really, are you still not a member?), which will net you 1 nursing CEU.
Lots of SART webinars happening right now. Next up: MNCASA’s Sexual Violence Justice Institute and their offering on how SARTs discuss sexual assault cases. The session will take place Wednesday, September 8th from 12-1:30pm CT. Registration is free.
Another good webinar in the FVPF‘s healthcare series: Providing Health Services to Survivors in Domestic Violence Programs. The session will be held October 6th from 11-12:30 PT. This series is free, but preregistration is required. The speakers have not yet been announced at this time.
Enough of you sent this to me that I just had to post it:
Those tricky vaginas: they can make or break a deal. Thank god for these pearls of wisdom…
Next week the National Sexual Assault Conference will be going on in Los Angeles. Sadly, I won’t be there this time (I’ll be with the Navy in Newport), but I’ll be able to catch up on all of the fantastic things happening there, because CALCASA’s going to be tweeting updates in real time (as will many others), and also blogging from the conference.
Medscape has an interesting CME case study on physician expert testimony. And when I say interesting, I mean that it touches on a couple issues (albeit briefly) that are relevant to anyone providing this service, physician or nurse. Specifically, it touches on the notion that expert testimony should be subject to peer review, and that professional organizations have a responsibility to ensure that their members provide quality testimony. The article actually refers to case law that supports this, although I’m not certain the authors don’t overstate their case just a bit on this point.
I love when people surprise me. Today, before our course started, one of the young (male) Army JAGs came up to me to discuss a news item he had read recently. He told me he had heard there was a new “morning after” pill that had just been approved by the FDA (I 1st posted on it earlier in the year), and he wanted to know if this would change how we take care of sexual assault patients. That’s a fantastic and very thoughtful question from a prosecutor, and one I didn’t expect. I think eventually it will change our practice, although not any time soon. We’re only finally getting people to move to Plan B, and this will undoubtedly be more expensive. It also made me realize that I hadn’t yet posted this particular news item.
WCSAP is hosting a webinar Monday, August 30th at 11am PT: Immigration, Sexual Assault and the Current Legal Climate. Space is limited for this one, so register ASAP if you’re interested. The featured speaker is Sonia Parras Konrad from ASISTA, a national organization providing immigration technical assistance on representing survivors of crimes of violence.