Many communities – tribal, rural, urban, military and institutional such as adult and juvenile detention centers – cannot afford to establish or maintain SANE programs. Thus, many victims are examined by whomever is on duty in the emergency room. While these examiners may be capable medical professionals, they lack specific training in sexual assault evidence collection and likely have little understanding of sexual violence. 

Telemedicine addresses the need for knowledgeable sexual assault examiners by enabling an experienced SANE to supervise the examination remotely. Telemedicine is used to diagnose and treat patients in geographically remote areas via telecommunication technology. It is not unique to the care of sexual assault patients but is widely accepted across medical fields. For medical forensic sexual assault examinations telemedicine improves the quality of patient care and the effectiveness and integrity of evidence collection.

During a typical examination using telemedicine, an experienced SANE remotely directs the treating clinician throughout the step-by-step process of examining the patient and collecting evidence and ensures that the proper procedures are followed regarding evidence collection, packaging and preserving the chain of custody.

The National Sexual Assault TeleNursing Center in Massachusetts is an example of how telemedicine fills the gap for communities lacking SANE programs. Through this center, experienced SANEs in Massachusetts provide remote clinical assistance to two hospitals in the state that do not have experienced examiners available.¹