Shifting Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners Orientation From Prosecutorial to Patient-Centered: The Role of Training.
Autor: Patterson, Debra; Pennefather, Megan; Donoghue, Kathleen
Publication year: 2020
Journal of interpersonal violence
issn:1552-6518 0886-2605
doi: 10.1177/0886260517717491
Abstract:
Sexual assault forensic examiners (SAFEs) have a complex role that entails providing health care and medical forensic evidence collection. The literature indicates that there are two orientations that guide SAFEs in this role. A patient-centered orientation emphasizes attending to emotional needs, offering options, and respecting survivors’ decisions, which has been linked to positive emotional outcomes. A prosecutorial orientation places emphasis on evidence collection and has been associated with providing fewer comprehensive services. SAFE training may play a pivotal role in guiding new SAFEs to adopt a patient-centered orientation. However, there is a paucity of research examining how training can bolster the adoption of this orientation. Thus, the current qualitative study explored if and how a national blended SAFE training influenced participants’ adoption of a patient-centered orientation. Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with 64 health care professionals who participated in a national SAFE training. Utilizing analytic induction, the results suggest that the majority of participants entered the training with a prosecutorial orientation but shifted to a patient-centered orientation. Multiple elements of the training influenced this shift including (a) content that dispelled misconceptions of survivors; (b) providing explanations of how attending to survivors’ well-being can lead to positive outcomes; (c) earlier placement of patient-centered content to allow instructors to explain how patient-centered care can be applied to each component of the SAFE role including the medical forensic exam; and (d) continual emphasis on patient-centered care.
Language: eng
Rights:
Pmid: 29294816
Tags: Humans; Female; Male; Adult; Qualitative Research; Attitude of Health Personnel; Program Evaluation; Interviews as Topic; Crime Victims/*psychology; *Sex Offenses; Survivors/*psychology; *Patient-Centered Care; Forensic Medicine/*education; Medical Staff, Hospital/*education; patient-centered care; secondary victimization; sexual assault nurse examiners; training
Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29294816/