Defining the boundaries: How sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) balance patient care and law enforcement collaboration

Abstract

Forensic nursing is multidisciplinary in nature, which can create tensions for practitioners between their responsibilities to patient care and collaborations with law enforcement and prosecutors. Because there are compelling reasons grounded in both nursing theory and legal precedent to maintain separation, there is a pressing need to understand how sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) programs successfully negotiate these potentially conflicting roles. The purpose of this study was to examine how SANEs define their work with their patients, how they collaborate with law enforcement, and how they negotiate roles differentiation. As part of a mixed methods evaluation of a community-based SANE program, qualitative interviews were conducted with forensic nurses regarding their interactions with patients and members of the legal community. Results indicated that a strong patient care practice had positive indirect effects on victims’ participation in the criminal justice system. Implications for forensic nursing practice are discussed.