Use of Telemedicine to Decrease Time to Care for Post-sexual Assault Survivors

Abstract

Survivors of sexual assault (SA) may face challenges accessing forensic nurse examiner (FNE) care due to both a lack of treatment centers and FNEs. At the project site, there was no systematic process to access FNE care, so an evidence-based approach was sought. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental quality improvement project was to determine if or to what degree the implementation of the Ontario Network of Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centers (ONSADVTC) Standards of Care for Sexual Assault using telemedicine would impact time to post-SA care when compared to current practice among adult post-SA survivors in an ambulatory setting in rural northern Ontario over 15 weeks. Joanne Duffy’s quality care model and Kurt Lewin’s theory of planned change provided the scientific underpinnings for the project. The sample size was 17 participants, with 5 in the comparative group and 12 in the implementation group. An independent samples t-test showed a decrease in time to post-SA care from the comparative group to the implementation group, t (15) = 7.33, p = .011 and was statistically and clinically significant. Based on these findings, the implementation of telehealth to deliver post-SA care utilizing the ONSADVTC Standards of Care for SA may impact this population. Recommendations include sustaining the project at the current site, disseminating the results, and replicating the project at other sites over an extended period using a larger sample size.