In the course of my work, I was asked by a physician from South America for information about lack of genital injury in sexual assault patients. Based on the work I did for him, I ended up with a fairly lengthy bibliography, which I have subsequently turned into the newest clinical guide on sexual assault anogenital injury. It’s not exhaustive (particularly the peds section, which isn’t my area of specialization), but it’s pretty comprehensive. Of course, if I’ve forgotten anything, please shoot me a note so I can add it to the bibliography.
Category: Sexual Assault
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Request for Assistance
A request from Terry Cintron:
In partial fulfillment of the requirement for a Masters of Science in Nursing Administration and Education through Mountain State University I am currently conducting a content analysis. The content analysis will examine questions on sexual assault interview forms which are used throughout the United States. The primary focus of the analysis will be to assess forms for questions associated with previous sexual assault, domestic violence and childhood sexual assault or abuse. Forms will be compared for question revision and updated information.
In providing the sexual assault interview form the response will remain confidential; no individual, hospital, organization, city or state will be identified. A number will be assigned to each form as a code only for the purpose of indentifying the form. The information generated from the content analysis will assist in the development of future interview forms for victims of sexual assault.
If it is feasible to provide the form please contact me at the email address listed and I will provide either a confidential fax number or my mail address.
If you should have any questions please contact me at the email address provided. Email address: cintrona@shaw.ca. Thank you for your time and consideration.
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PreventConnect Newsletter
If you aren’t on the mailing list for CalCASA’s Prevention Connection newsletter, you probably should make that happen. It’s a worthwhile email every time. I was especially enamored with this month’s newlstter because it satisfies the wonkiest parts of me: a podcast with Amanda Hess, whose column, The Sexist you can read at the Washington City Paper (available online for all of you non-DC folks); a research podcast with TK Logan and Jody Raphael on the misuse of rape statistics.
I’m back in the CLE for about a minute, before I head on to DC and then Portland (OR) for the week. Before I go, a couple things worth mentioning. First up is the newly released report on anti-LGBTQ hate violence, published by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (PDF). Click here for the short-attention span, media release overview.
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Vicarious Trauma
The National Child Protection Training Center is offering a webinar on vicarious trauma Thursday, August 19th at 3pm CT. Registration is $10. From the site: This workshop will address the effects of working with and responding to children who have witnessed and experienced violence, the effects of working with the people whose loved ones have been violated in the most intimate ways, and methods to reduce the risks of vicarious trauma and burnout. Register for the session here.
A couple weeks ago I mentioned that NSVRC had a collection on sexual violence in later life. Now, VAWNet has an expanded collection on sexual and domestic violence in later life that’s worth checking out. Aside from an overview and a look at some of the current research, there are also a variety of training materials available in the collection, and some healthcare specific resources, as well.
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New SART Webinars
There are 2 SART-related webinars coming up in the next 6 weeks. One from MNCASA and the other from SAFEta Source. The MNCASA session, Beyond Protocols: How SARTs Can Influence the Justice-Making Process for Sexual Assault Victims/ Survivors, will be held Monday, July 26th at 12pm CT. From the site: The first webinar will focus on the concept of justice making. Specifically, we will: 1.) Explore an understanding of justice-making for victims as a process, rather than just a criminal justice system outcome. 2.) Describe the role that tangible and intangible supports play in the justice-making process–specifically the power of listening generously. 3.) Provide specific examples of how multidisciplinary teams can influence this broader approach to justice-making for sexual assault victims/survivors.
I have updated this clinical guide since it was initially published. What follows are all full text articles to make it easier to identify useful resources. Please keep in mind that all US government publications are in a tenuous state these days; what is there today may not be there tomorrow, so if you see something you like, I encourage you to download it. I kept those to a minimum in this list—there’s only one here (from AHRQ). But you can still find relevant QI and peer review docs on sites like the CDC. It’s just not clear for how long.
FULL TEXT PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLES:
Bader H, Abdulelah M, Maghnam R, Chin D. Clinical peer Review; A mandatory process with potential inherent bias in desperate need of reform. J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect. 2021 Nov 15;11(6):817-820. doi: 10.1080/20009666.2021.1965704. PMID: 34804397; PMCID: PMC8604442.
Backhouse A, Ogunlayi F. Quality improvement into practice BMJ 2020; 368 :m865 doi:10.1136/bmj.m865
Hempel S, Bolshakova M, Turner BJ, Dinalo J, Rose D, Motala A, Fu N, Clemesha CG, Rubenstein L, Stockdale S. Evidence-Based Quality Improvement: a Scoping Review of the Literature. J Gen Intern Med. 2022 Dec;37(16):4257-4267. doi: 10.1007/s11606-022-07602-5. PMID: 36175760; PMCID: PMC9708973.
Walker LE, Nestler DM, Laack TA, Clements CM, Erwin PJ, Scanlan-Hanson L, Bellolio MF. Clinical care review systems in healthcare: a systematic review. Int J Emerg Med. 2018 Feb 8;11(1):6. doi: 10.1186/s12245-018-0166-y. PMID: 29423602; PMCID: PMC5805667.
Willmington C, Belardi P, Murante AM, Vainieri M. The contribution of benchmarking to quality improvement in healthcare. A systematic literature review. BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 Feb 2;22(1):139. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-07467-8. PMID: 35109824; PMCID: PMC8812166.
NURSING-SPECIFIC ARTICLES:
Drake SA, Pierce M, Gumpeni P, Giardino E, Wolf DA. Quality Assurance Through Standard Operating Procedures Development and Deviation: A Medicolegal Death Investigation Systems Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Forensic Nurs. 2021 Jan-Mar 01;17(1):61-64. doi: 10.1097/JFN.0000000000000305. PMID: 33017342; PMCID: PMC7892202.
Patrician PA, Campbell CM, Javed M, Williams KM, Foots L, Hamilton WM, House S, Swiger PA. Quality and Safety in Nursing: Recommendations From a Systematic Review. J Healthc Qual. 2024 Jul-Aug 01;46(4):203-219. doi: 10.1097/JHQ.0000000000000430. Epub 2024 May 8. PMID: 38717788; PMCID: PMC11198958.
OTHER INTERESTING RESOURCES:
Ways to Approch the Quality Improvement Process (AHRQ, 2020)
Peer Review: Best Practices for Enhancing Quality (PSQH, 2007)
Continuous Quality Improvement (StatPearls, 2023)
Quality Improvement Methods (LEAN, PDSA, SIX SIGMA) (StatPearls, 2024)
NATIONAL PROTOCOLS AND GUIDELINES: (all address peer review and/or QI within the document)
National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations, Adolescent/Adult, 3rd Edition (US DOJ)
National Protocol For Sexual Abuse Medical Forensic Examinations, Pediatrics (US DOJ)
National Protocol for Intimate Partner Violence Medical Forensic Examinations (US DOJ)
I’m a bit late getting this up (pesky vacation!), but since we’re on an article tear here at FHO this week, here’s a compilation worth checking out. VAWNet has a new section on Reproductive Justice and Violence Against Women: Understanding the Intersections. From the site: “Reproductive justice is an analytical framework or theory, a movement, and a practice that works to protect and guarantee women’s rights and the full achievement of human rights. The term “reproductive justice” was claimed and coined by women of color as a result of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development hosted in Cairo. It integrates reproductive health with social justice and human rights. The term reproductive justice represents a holistic view that acknowledges diverse factors that intersect in multiple ways to affect women and their reproductive rights.”
Time once again for Articles of Note. All of these are from the June/July issues and electronic previews. 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. 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.
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Follow-Up: Rape in Baltimore
Last week, my friend and colleague, Kim Day, appeared on Baltimore Public Radio to discuss the recent media coverage on sexual assault in Baltimore (you can see the post where it’s referenced here). Listen to the full discussion here. Way to go, Kim!
You can see the full list of discussion participants and a description of the program after the jump.
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Basic Geriatric GYN Exam
In caring for elderly sexual assault and abuse/neglect patients, there are so many normal variants that many of us are less familiar with. There are also alterations to the exam process that may need to happen to better accommodate limitations in mobility, cognition, etc. Medscape has a nice CE offering on basic GYN exams for geriatric patients. Credits are available for both physicians and nurses and are free of charge {Physicians – maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™; Nurses – 0.50 ANCC Contact Hour(s) (0 contact hours are in the area of pharmacology)}.
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New Webcasts from AEquitas
A happy Monday to you all. I am pleased to report that over at our website, AEquitas has webcasts of previously delivered webinars: Battered Women Charged With Crimes and Alcohol Facilitated Sexual Assault. You can find the links to access them here (scroll down to the bottom of the page). You’ll also find a listing of our prosecutor courses coming up, so feel free to pass those along to colleagues.
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Friday Wrap-Up
It’s been lovely being at home this week. Next week, back on the road, first to celebrate NSVRC’s 10th anniversary (hope to see some of you there!) and then on to DC to get some serious work done before (dare I say it) a bit of vacation in the Colorado Rockies. Before I sign off for the weekend, an update for the SAFE Virtual Practicum from IAFN. The Update will allow you to use the Practicum in Instructor mode as a teaching tool, so I highly recommend getting the download. If you already own a copy, it’s free. Instructions after the jump:
Two new resources just released that I wanted to post today. The first is from NSVRC: Sexual Violence in Later Life Information Packet. It includes a fact sheet, technical assistance bulletin, technical assistance guide, resource list, annotated bibliography and research brief. As today happens to be World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, this is particularly fitting.
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Rape on the Reservation
Hat tip to the Oregon Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force (who I am very excited to be doing some training for next month), for the link to this recent episode of Vanguard, Rape on the Reservation. “One in three Native American women will be raped in her lifetime. Correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, where the growing sexual assault epidemic has finally escalated to murder.”
Time for May and June’s Articles of Note {so sorry to have not gotten one done last month!}. All of these are from the late April/May/June issues and electronic previews. 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. 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.
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New Online CEUs
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Friday Odds and Ends
Don’t forget, we have a fantastic giveaway going on right now! Just leave your comment here to enter.
Happily, I am teaching for the forensic nurses in Utah today, so it should be a pretty fantastic day. What makes it better is that I will then head straight to Moab (you’ll find me here) for a bit of hiking and general relaxation for 36 hours or so before I head up to Seattle for a day of training with WCSAP. Before I head out, though, a few odds and ends to tie up the week:
Don’t forget, we have a fantastic giveaway going on right now! Just leave your comment here to enter. Loving all the comments thus far!
Our friends at EVAW have some new resources for their Forensic Compliance project. You can head over to their website for a variety of tools and materials, but what’s particularly exciting are the new template materials for anonymous sexual assault reporting. I know a lot of folks are struggling with this issue in their communities, so definitely check these out.