Enrolled on:
CE1015 | Contact Hours: 2
Forensic Evidence
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this course is to educate health care professionals about forensic evidence. Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
1. Define forensic evidence and other important terms.
2. Demonstrate appropriate techniques for completing a sexual assault kit.
3. Demonstrate proper collection and preservation of evidence.
4. Describe proper history-taking and documentation of forensic evidence.
5. Identify the role of nurses in forensics and the challenges they face.
RELEASE DATE
06/17/2022
EXPIRATION DATE
06/17/2024
AUTHOR
Rachel Botkin, PT, MPT
CRITERIA FOR SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION
All learners must complete the entire activity and complete the evaluation to receive contact hours.
APPROVAL STATEMENT (ACCREDITATION INFORMATION)
This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by the Ohio Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. (OBN-001-91).
In addition to states that accept American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) courses, CE Leaders is an approved provider by the Florida Board of Nursing, and a registered provider with the Arkansas State Board of Nursing, District of Columbia Board of Nursing, Georgia Board of Nursing, Kentucky Board of Nursing, New Mexico Board of Nursing, South Carolina Board of Nursing and West Virginia Board of Registered Nurses (Provider # 50-33450).
RELEVANT FINANCIAL RELATIONSHIP
No one with the ability to control content of this activity has a relevant financial relationship with an ineligible company.
INTRODUCTION
Emergency Room (ER) nurses often care for victims of intentional harm and criminal neglect. These include patients who have been shot, stabbed, physically abused and sexually assaulted or abused. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Justice Information Services Division, there were 1,203,808 violent crimes that occurred in the United States in 2019. This includes 16,425 murders, 238,028 rapes, 267,988 robberies and 821,182 aggravated assaults (4). When nursing intersects with the law, it is considered forensic nursing and the patient is considered a forensic patient. ER nurses are frequently the first to interact with assault victims so it’s important for ER nurses to be able to quickly recognize forensic patients.
REFERENCES
1. Forensic science. (n.d.). NIST. Available at https://www.nist.gov/forensic-science. Last accessed on April 14, 2022.
2. US Legal, Inc. (n.d.). Forensic evidence law and legal definition. Uslegal.com. Available at https://definitions.uslegal.com/f/forensic-evidence/. Last accessed on April 19, 2022.
3. Ojp.gov. Available at https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/142520NCJRS.pdf. Last accessed on April 19, 2022.
4. Table 1. (n.d.). FBI. Available at https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2019/crime-in-the-u.s.-2019/tables/table-1. Last accessed on April 29, 2022.
5. Hammer, R., Moynihan, B., & Pagliaro, E. M. (2011). Forensic Nursing (2nd ed.). Jones and Bartlett.
6. The Roles & Responsibilities of Forensic Nurses. (2012, October 22). Work - Chron.com. Available at https://work.chron.com/roles-responsibilities-forensic-nurses-11667.html. Last accessed on April 25, 2022.
7. SEXUAL ASSAULT KITS using science to find solutions. (n.d.). Ojp.gov. Available at https://nij.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh171/files/media/document/unsubmitted-kits.pdf. Last accessed on April 25, 2022.
8. SANE Program Development and Operation Guide. (n.d.). Ovcttac.gov. Available at https://www.ovcttac.gov/saneguide/identifying-essential-components-of-a-sane-program/medical-forensic-history-taking-and-documentation-of-the-medical-forensic-examination/. Last accessed on April 25, 2022.
9. Common challenges faced by forensic nurses. (2020, November 23). Myzeo.com. Available at https://www.myzeo.com/health/common-challenges-faced-by-forensic-nurses/. Last accessed on April 29, 2022.
10. Schiro, G. (n.d.). Collection and preservation of evidence. Crime-Scene-Investigator.net. Available at https://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/evidenc3.html. Last accessed on April 26, 2022.
11. Rape. (n.d.). FBI. Available at https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/violent-crime/rape. Last accessed on April 29, 2022.
12. Wound Analysis. (n.d.). Forensicpanel.com. Available at https://www.forensicpanel.com/expert_services/pathology/criminal_law/wound_analysis.html. Last accessed on April 29, 2022.
13. Kleypas, D. A., & Badiye, A. (2021). Evidence Collection. StatPearls Publishing. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441852/. Last accessed on May 6, 2022.
14. (N.d.-b). Sbsheriff.org. Available at https://www.sbsheriff.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/SOP-CSI-004-12-Trace-Evidence-Collection.pdf. Last accessed on May 9, 2022.
15. Preservation of biological evidence A guide for law enforcement agencies and the courts of North Carolina. (2019). Forensicresources.org. Available at https://forensicresources.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2019_Brochure_Preservation_of_Biological_Evidence.pdf. Last accessed on May 9, 2022.
16. Liberty and justice for Texas. (n.d.). Texasattorneygeneral.gov. Available at https://www2.texasattorneygeneral.gov/faq/cvs-sexual-assault-nurse-examiner-sane-program-frequently-asked-questions. Last accessed on May 12, 2022.