NCJ Number
215069
Journal
Forensic Nursing Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Dated: Summer 2006 Pages: 66-74
Date Published
2006
Length
9 pages
Annotation
After describing the development and operation of one Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program, this article presents demographic, incident, and exam characteristics of sexual assault survivors examined by a SANE in this program over a 5-year period (2001-2005).
Abstract
The SANE program described was established in a Kentucky county in June 2000 and has been operating since January 2001. It is administered by the local Division of Police. The program contracts with credentialed SANE's for 1-year periods. The program provides services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The SANE's are five part-time on-call nurses. The program manager is full-time within the Division of Police. Police officers, the SANEs, and rape crisis volunteers respond as a team to hospital notification of the admission of a sexual assault survivor who is 14 years old or older and who comes to the hospital within 96 hours of the assault. This report describes the exam procedures of the SANE. Data from the 5-year study indicate that during this period 444 survivors of sexual assault came to the hospital for treatment. Acquaintances were the largest category of perpetrators, with 19.3 percent of the survivors reporting the offender was an acquaintance they had just met that day. Intimate partners accounted for 15 percent of the perpetrators. Most of the assaults occurred either in the survivors' or perpetrators' homes. A high proportion (45.6 percent) of the survivors reported histories of sexual assault. Substance use was reported by 62.5 percent of the survivors. 4 tables and 30 references