Exploring How Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners Practise Trauma-Informed Care

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Trauma Care
• Sexual Violence Research

Background:

• Sexual violence involves sexual acts without consent.
• Sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) provide crucial medical and legal care to survivors.
• Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a recommended approach for individuals with trauma histories.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how SANEs integrate trauma-informed approaches in caring for adult and adolescent sexual violence survivors.
• To understand the practical application of TIC by sexual assault nurse examiners.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative interpretive description used for data analysis.
• Eight SANEs participated in online semistructured interviews.
• Purposive sampling ensured relevant participant selection.

Main Results:

• Key themes included understanding patient experience, building safe nurse-patient relationships, empowering patient choice, and fostering healing and posttraumatic growth.
• Facilitators and benefits of TIC were identified, alongside challenges encountered in practice.
• The importance of personalized connection and patient autonomy in TIC was highlighted.

Conclusions:

• TIC is perceived as highly valuable by SANEs.
• There is a need for increased support systems for healthcare providers delivering TIC.
• Further research is essential to build evidence for TIC in SANE programs and broader healthcare settings.