NCJ Number
250217
Date Published
2016
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This guide provides instructions for nurses and communities in creating a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program, as well as for the expansion or improvement of existing SANE programs.
Abstract
This is a revision that improves on the original SANE Development and Operation Guide, which was issued about 20 years ago. Whereas the original guide examined whether registered nurses could perform sexual assault medical forensic examinations, this revised guide demonstrates that nurses should be the ones to deliver this care. Presented as an online video and transcript, the major sections of the guide consider the purpose and features of a SANE program, understanding the impact of sexual assault on victims, the history and development of SANE programs, and building a theoretical framework for SANE practice. SANE programs ensure that the community understands what sexual assault is and is not, particularly its distinctive effects on victims. They play an integral role in the work of Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs), which provide a multidisciplinary response in which law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, victim advocates, nursing personnel, and crime-lab personnel cooperate to ensure that a sexual assault victim is provided a comprehensive, seamless continuum of care and guidance.