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Cited by 43Sexual Assault and Victimization StudiesGlobal Health Workforce IssuesNursing Roles and Practices

Rural Availability of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs)

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Thiede, Elizabeth, Miyamoto, Sheridan·2021·The Journal of Rural Health
DOI 10.1111/jrh.12544PMC PMC9326872
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Abstract

Purpose: Sexual assault care provided by sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) is associated with improved health and prosecutorial outcomes. Upon completion of SANE training, nurses can demonstrate their experience and expertise by obtaining SANE certification. Availability of nurses with SANE training or certification is often limited in rural areas, and no studies of rural certified SANEs exist. The purpose of this study is to describe rural SANE availability. Methods: We analyze both county‐level and hospital‐level data to comprehensively examine SANE availability. We first describe the geographic distribution of certified SANEs across rural and nonrural (ie, urban or suburban) Pennsylvania counties. We then analyze hospital‐level data from semistructured interviews with rural hospital emergency department administrators using qualitative content analysis. Findings: We identified 49 certified SANEs across Pennsylvania, with 24.5% (n = 12) located in 8 (16.7%) of Pennsylvania's 48 rural counties. The remaining 37 certified SANEs (75.5%) were located in 13 (68.4%) of Pennsylvania's 19 nonrural counties. Interview data were collected from 63.9% of all eligible rural Pennsylvania hospitals (n = 63) and show that 72.5% (n = 29) have SANEs. Of these, 20.7% (n = 6) have any certified SANE availability. A minority of hospitals (42.5%; n = 17) have continuous SANE coverage. Conclusions: Very few SANEs in rural Pennsylvania have certification, suggesting barriers to certification may exist for rural SANEs. Though a majority of hospitals have SANEs, availability of SANEs was limited by inconsistent coverage. A lack of certified SANEs and inconsistent SANE coverage may place rural sexual assault victims at risk of receiving lower quality sexual assault care.

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  • Lack of availability of quality, specialized SA care due to a shortage of trained SANEs throughout the country may be a barrier to seeking a SA exam.

    “This may be due to lack of availability of quality, specialized SA care due to a shortage of trained SANEs throughout the country (GAO, 2016; Thiede & Miyamoto, 2021).”

    From “Having One Person Tell Me I Didn’t Do the Wrong Thing”: The Impact of Support on the Post-Sexual Assault Exam Experience (2024) · cites this paper as Thiede & Miyamoto, 2021

    The Abstract conclusions report limited SANE coverage in rural Pennsylvania and warn that this may put victims at risk of lower-quality care. The Discussion says that travel or transfers to obtain care could deter some victims from seeking it. The paper does not establish a shortage of trained SANEs throughout the country or directly test whether SANE availability affects decisions to seek an exam. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Research works printed but not linked: 24

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Thiede, E., & Miyamoto, S.
Affiliations
Pennsylvania State University (US)
ORCID
Venue
The Journal of Rural Health
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2020-12-06
Volume
37
Issue
1
Pages
81-91
ISSN
  • 0890-765X (ISSN-L)
  • 1748-0361
DOI
10.1111/jrh.12544
PMC
PMC9326872
OpenAlex
W3112247394
Cited by
43
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2
FWCI
6.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
  • The Journal of Rural Health (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • ScholarSphere (Penn State Libraries) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (UL1TR002014)
  • National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P50HD089922)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Emergency Medical Services › Global Health Workforce Issues
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Nursing Roles and Practices
Keywords
sexual assault nurse examiners, rural health workforce, rural hospitals, emergency department staffing, Pennsylvania
MeSH terms
Humans, Pennsylvania, Sex Offenses

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