Using Telehealth Technology to Serve Patients Reporting Sexual Assault

Abstract

ABSTRACT Many communities across the country are developing, implementing, or already operating programs that provide patients with access to sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) expertise and care through telehealth technology (e.g., teleSANE or teleSAFE). The speed at which teleSANE programs are proliferating is outpacing the available research and evaluation to inform key decisions on program development and implementation. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health SANE Program and its National TeleNursing Center decided to rapidly and temporarily convert a set of hospitals from providing in-person SANE care to remote teleSANE care. Several specific changes were made to this program's established teleSANE model for the rapid, temporary conversion. This article reports on findings from an evaluation of the temporary TeleSANE model that provide insight into key decisions that must be made in the development and implementation of teleSANE program features. Communities considering developing or already operating a teleSANE program should be intentional in making program goals, purposes, and values explicit as well as develop their program accordingly.