Dataset Information

User Experience of Access to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and Emergency Contraception in Emergency Departments in the United States: A National Survey.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Despite the prevalence of sexual assault presentations to emergency departments (ED) in the United States, current access to sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE) and emergency contraception (EC) in EDs is unknown.

Methods

In this study we employed a "secret shopper," cross-sectional telephonic survey. A team attempted phone contact with a representative sample of EDs and asked respondents about the availability of SANEs and EC in their ED. Reported availability was correlated with variables including region, urban/rural status, hospital size, faith affiliation, academic affiliation, and existence of legislative requirements to offer EC.

Results

Over a two-month period in 2019, 1,046 calls to hospitals were attempted and 960 were completed (91.7% response rate). Of the 4,360 eligible hospitals listed in a federal database, 960 (22.0%) were contacted. Access to SANEs and EC were reported to be available in 48.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 45.5-52.0) and 42.5% (95% CI 39.4-45.7) of hospitals, respectively. Access to EC was positively correlated with SANE availability. The EDs reporting SANE and EC availability were more likely to be large, rural, and affiliated with an academic institution. Those reporting access to EC were more likely to be in the Northeast and in states with legislative requirements to offer EC.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that perceived access to sexual assault services and emergency contraception in EDs in the United States remains poor with regional and legislative disparities. Results suggest disparities in perceived access to EC and SANE in the ED, which have implications for improving ED practices regarding care of sexual assault victims.

SUBMITTER: Cowdery C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11000551 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

User Experience of Access to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and Emergency Contraception in Emergency Departments in the United States: A National Survey.

Cowdery Colleen C Halloran Diana D Henderson Rebecca R Allen Ma Kathleen M MKM O'Shea Kelly K Woodward Kristen K Rifai Susan S Cohen Scott A SA Chowdhury Muhammad Abdul Baker MAB Zeretzke-Bien Cristina C Walter Lauren A LA Elie-Turenne Marie-Carmelle MC

The western journal of emergency medicine 20240301 2

<h4>Background</h4>Despite the prevalence of sexual assault presentations to emergency departments (ED) in the United States, current access to sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE) and emergency contraception (EC) in EDs is unknown.<h4>Methods</h4>In this study we employed a "secret shopper," cross-sectional telephonic survey. A team attempted phone contact with a representative sample of EDs and asked respondents about the availability of SANEs and EC in their ED. Reported availability was cor ...[more]

PMID: 38596932

Similar Datasets

Project description:IntroductionEmergency departments (ED) provide trauma-informed care to sexual assault (SA) survivors and connect them with comprehensive services. Through surveying SA survivor advocates, we aimed to 1) document updated trends in the quality of care and resources offered to SA survivors and 2) identify potential disparities according to geographic regions in the US, urban vs rural clinic locations, and the availability of sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE).MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study between June-August 2021, surveying SA advocates who were dispatched from rape crisis centers to support survivors during ED care. Survey questions addressed two major themes in quality of care: staff preparedness to provide trauma-response care; and available resources. Staff preparedness to provide trauma-informed care was assessed through observations of staff behaviors. We used Wilcoxon rank-sum and Kruskal-Wallis tests to analyze differences in responses according to geographic regions and SANE presence.ResultsA total of 315 advocates from 99 crisis centers completed the survey. The survey had a participation rate of 88.7% and a completion rate of 87.9%. Advocates who indicated that a higher proportion of their cases were attended by SANEs were more likely to report higher rates of trauma-informed staff behaviors. For example, the recalled rate of staff asking patients for consent at every step of the exam was significantly associated with SANE presence (P < 0.001). With respect to access to resources, 66.7% of advocates reported that hospitals often or always have evidence collection kits available; 30.6% reported that resources such as transportation and housing are often or always available, and 55.3% reported that SANEs are often or always part of the care team. The SANEs were reported to be more frequently available in the Southwest than in other US regions (P < 0.001) and in urban as opposed to rural areas (P < 0.001).ConclusionOur study indicates that support from sexual assault nurse examiners is highly associated with trauma-informed staff behaviors and comprehensive resources. Urban-rural and regional disparities exist regarding access to SANEs, suggesting that elevating nationwide quality and equity in care of survivors of sexual assault requires increased investments in SANE training and coverage.

Dataset Information

User Experience of Access to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and Emergency Contraception in Emergency Departments in the United States: A National Survey.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

User Experience of Access to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner and Emergency Contraception in Emergency Departments in the United States: A National Survey.

Similar Datasets

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