TeleSANE - Sexual Assault Service
Partnering with the UAMS to Help Victims of Sexual Assault
Since spring of 2023, National Park Medical Center (NPMC) has been helping victims of sexual assault through teleSANE. TeleSANE, a program developed by the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences (UAMS), provides clinical, evidence-based telehealth care in the emergency room. Victims can connect privately and remotely through video with a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE), a registered nurse trained to provide comprehensive healthcare to survivors of sexual assault.
The TeleSANE program uses a telecart equipped with a two-way video screen and a SANE tool kit to aid in the collection of evidence. The SANE nurse also helps with photography and provides resources to aid in recovery.
TeleSANE aims to break down communication barriers for traumatized patients. Because the nurses have extensive training and experience with these cases, they know how to speak empathetically, using language designed to minimize any additional trauma and reduce triggers.
How TeleSANE Works
When a victim of sexual assault enters the emergency room, after an initial consult and with the patient’s permission, the onsite care provider will bring the TeleSANE cart into the room to assist with as much or as little treatment as needed. Patients receive an evidence-based, trauma-informed medical forensic exam, connections to resources, and after-care follow-up guidance.
Since its use at NPMC, the teleSANE program has helped multiple survivors of sexual assault.
The NPMC teleSANE program at the hospital accompanies the telePsychiatry, teleNeurology, teleStroke, and virtual nursing programs designed to meet the immediate needs of the Hot Springs community so they can receive care close to home.