Sexual Assault and Battery for Certified Emergency Nursing (CEN)

Sexual Assault and Battery

Definition/Etiology:

Sexual Assault-
The term sexual assault refers to sexual contact or behavior that occurs without explicit consent of the victim.

Pathophysiology:

Some forms of sexual assault include:

• Attempted rape
• Fondling or unwanted sexual touching
• Forcing a victim to perform sexual acts, such as oral sex or penetrating the perpetrator’s body
• Penetration of the victim’s body, also known as rape

Legal as well as medical needs and emotional needs

Clinical Presentation:

No standard presentation-

• Estimated to be over 700,000 cases of rape annually
• 81% of women and 43% of men state they have experienced some form of sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime.
• 51% female victims were assaulted by an intimate partner
• 40.8% of female victims were raped by an acquaintance
• 52% of men were assaulted by an acquaintance
• 15.2% of men were assaulted by a stranger

Collaborative Management:

Diagnostic testing:

• Baseline lab work
• Pregnancy testing

Interventions:

• Non-Pharm – SANE exam
• Pharm : PEP/Plan B?

Therapeutic Management:

• Medical follow up for injuries/emotional trauma
• Law enforcement follow up

Evaluation | Patient Monitoring | Education:

• Discuss availability of patient advocate
• Patient should not eat or drink until after examination and swab collection
• Clothing collected as evidence
• Exam should be performed as soon as possible

Low rate of false reporting (between 2-10%) so always believe your victim!

Linchpins: (Key Points)

• Document the patient’s injuries and stories as objectively as possible
• THE BODY IS EVIDENCE
• Collect clothing
  • Avoid plastic bags, paper is preferred
• PEP must be initiated within 72 hours of the exposure