Experiences of women sexual assault survivors with police in the early aftermath of assault: Results from a large-scale prospective study.

Over 100,000 women present for emergency care after sexual assault (SA) annually in the United States. To our knowledge, no large prospective studies have assessed SA survivor experiences with police. Women SA survivors enrolled at 13 sites ( = 706), and 630 survivors reported on their police interactions.

Research with women sexual assault survivors presenting for emergency care is safe: Results from a multi-site, prospective observational cohort study.

A barrier to research with sexual assault survivors is the concern that research participation might be a negative experience for participants. We report the experiences with research of adult women sexual assault survivors participating in a large-scale, multi-site, prospective observational study that enrolled participants at the time of presentation for emergency care. Participants (n = 706, M = 28 years of age; 57% white, 15% Black) self-reported their experience with research 1 week, 6 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year post-assault.

Development of a brief bedside tool to screen women sexual assault survivors for risk of persistent posttraumatic stress six months after sexual assault.

This study aims to develop and validate a brief bedside tool to screen women survivors presenting for emergency care following sexual assault for risk of persistent elevated posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) six months after assault. Participants were 547 cisgender women sexual assault survivors who presented to one of 13 sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) programs for medical care within 72 h of a sexual assault and completed surveys one week and six months after the assault. Data on 222 potential predictors from the SANE visit and the week one survey spanning seven broadly-defined risk factor domains were candidates for inclusion in the screening tool.

"I still feel so lost": experiences of women receiving SANE care during the year after sexual assault.

Objective: Emergency caregivers provide initial care to women sexual assault (SA) survivors. An improved understanding of the issues facing this population can aide emergency care practitioners in providing high quality care. The goal of this study was to share the experiences of women SA survivors with the emergency care practitioners that care for them.

Pain is common after sexual assault and posttraumatic arousal/reactivity symptoms mediate the development of new or worsening persistent pain.

Clinically significant new or worsening pain (CSNWP) is a common, yet often overlooked, sequelae of sexual assault. Little is known regarding factors influencing the development of CSNWP in sexual assault survivors. The current study used data from a recently completed prospective study to evaluate whether posttraumatic alterations in arousal and reactivity in the early aftermath of sexual assault influence the transition from acute to clinically significant new or worsening persistent pain.

Perceived Care Quality Among Women Receiving Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Care: Results From a 1-Week Postexamination Survey in a Large Multisite Prospective Study.

Introduction: This study examined the perspectives of female patients who had been sexually assaulted regarding the quality of care provided by sexual assault nurse examiners, including whether the patients' perspectives varied by their demographic characteristics and health status before the assault.

Methods: A total of 695 female patients who received care from sexual assault nurse examiners at 13 United States emergency care centers and community-based programs completed standardized surveys 1 week after receiving sexual assault nurse examiners' care for sexual assault.

Results: Most patients strongly agreed that the sexual assault nurse examiners provided high-quality care, including taking patients' needs/concerns seriously, not acting as though the assault was the patient's fault, showing care/compassion, explaining the sexual assault examination, and providing follow-up information.

Anxiety Sensitivity Prospectively Predicts Increased Acute Posttraumatic Stress and Related Symptoms After Sexual Assault.

Anxiety sensitivity is a potential risk factor for posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and has been hypothesized to contribute to PTSS development. However, few prospective studies have evaluated whether anxiety sensitivity predicts PTSS. In a subsample of 48 women sexual assault survivors enrolled as part of a larger prospective observational study, elevated anxiety sensitivity measured via a brief assessment 1 week after experiencing a sexual assault was concurrently associated with PTSS at 1 week and prospectively predicted PTSS 6 weeks after the event, with small-to-medium effect sizes, η = .

Health care utilization by women sexual assault survivors after emergency care: Results of a multisite prospective study.

Background: Approximately, 100,000 US women receive emergency care after sexual assault each year, but no large-scale study has examined the incidence of posttraumatic sequelae, receipt of health care, and frequency of assault disclosure to providers. The current study evaluated health outcomes and service utilization among women in the 6 weeks after sexual assault.

Methods: Women ≥18 years of age presenting for emergency care after sexual assault to twelve sites were approached.

Prosecutor Preference for Forensic Nurse Testimony: Outcome of Expanding a Forensic Program.

Introduction: The objective was to evaluate the impact of using forensic nurse examiners for patients with trauma on prosecutors' preference for testimony in criminal court.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of a database of 562 subpoenas received from January 2012 to December 2017 was conducted for patients with trauma seen in a level 1 trauma center with a comprehensive forensic nursing program.

Results: The prosecutors' preferences in 453 of the 562 subpoenas received by the Forensic Nurse Examiners program involving a patient with trauma were analyzed.

Traumatic occurrence of chest wall tamponade secondary to subcutaneous emphysema.

Subcutaneous emphysema is a physical finding that itself is usually perceived as benign yet rarely may, in and of itself, be life-threatening. We present an unusual case of a 67-year-old woman who developed delayed severe subcutaneous emphysema and tension pneumothorax from a rib fracture subsequent to a fall. We review the pathophysiology, manifestations and management options of this disorder.