| Autor: |
Deborah Bretl, Lynn Sheets |
| Jazyk: |
angličtina |
| Rok vydání: |
2012 |
| Předmět: |
|
| Zdroj: |
MedEdPORTAL, Vol 8 (2012) |
| ISSN: |
2374-8265 |
| DOI: |
10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9165 |
| Popis: |
Introduction The medical evaluation of sexually assaulted children, ranging in age from infants to teens, is a complex and emotionally charged procedure. Even medical professionals who have special expertise in these evaluations find these cases challenging. It is important to provide the best medical care for these children in the least stressful way possible, while at the same time meeting the evidentiary needs of investigators. Current guidelines for completing sexual assault evaluations in children are too complex and cumbersome to be very useful at the bedside. Health care providers are usually under duress because of time constraints and the tragic circumstances of these cases when completing these evaluations. Too often the examiner omits key elements of documentation, evidence collection, and treatments of these children. To address this we created the Sexual Abuse (SA) Pocket Tool; a user-friendly checklist that is both educational and useful as a checklist while evaluating a child who may have been assaulted. Methods This resource contains the SA Pocket Tool and background materials to educators about the tool's use. This education occurs over two 1-hour sessions. During the first session users are provided with relevant background information via a PowerPoint presentation and review the tool in detail. The second session consists of a brief review of content from the first session, and use of the tool in two case studies. Results The SA tool has been launched locally and presented nationally. There have been multiple requests to make the tool more widely available as a child/teen sexual assault resource. Although no formal assessment was conducted, users of the SA Pocket Tool have provided anecdotal reports of markedly improved comfort with conducting sexual assault evaluations. Discussion The SA Pocket Tool is meant to be either used as a checklist or to support educational programs on sexual assault evaluations. It is not intended to be used as a stand-alone “how-to” manual. The tool may be updated or modified as science evolves and as local practices vary. |
| Databáze: |
OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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