| To address the role of Nursing within an emergency department and the final impact on forensic cases with the evidence preserved14. |
Emergency professionals are responsible for the evaluation, collection, documentation, and for properly following with the chain of custody. |
| To present how evidence is collected in the emergency department in a situation of sexual assault15. |
It is necessary to evaluate, know the rudiments of collection, storage of physical evidence, document injuries by photographic means, avoid biological degradation and follow the chain of custody. |
| To address obstacles faced for the implementation of the sexual assault response team16. |
The obstacles were funding, team composition and adequate training of professionals. |
| To describe the functions of the forensic nurse in the emergency department17. |
Recognize a potential forensic situation, proceed with collection, preservation, complete documentation of objective and subjective signs, follow up in the chain of custody, notify closest relatives, see the link between patient, physician and investigator. |
| To review the literature related to the recognition and collection of forensic materials in emergency departments by nurses18. |
Recognition and collection of evidence should be performed by nurses to forward to the authorities. These professionals must identify physical and non-physical traces, document and maintain the chain of custody. |
| To evaluate the clinical Nursing practice as a sexual assault examiner in an urgency care center for sexual attacks19. |
The practice consisted of physical evaluation, gathering evidence and documentation of assault and injuries, screening for Sexually Transmitted Infections and pregnancy, providing treatment and medication, and testifying in court. |
| To evaluate the Nursing programs as sexual assault examiner20. |
Medical care was provided 24 hours a day for rape survivors. The minority of the victims received information to understand the medical services, such as pregnancy risk, contraception to prevent pregnancy and the risk of Sexually Transmitted Infections. |
| To compare the collection of sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs*) in standardized evidence kits with other emergency departments without a SANE*(21. |
The examiners trained in the SANE* program perform more complete collections and more compatible with the forensic evidence standards. |
| To evaluate the education level of clinical practice trauma nurses in a trauma center22. |
Emergency room professionals received further instructions of forensic protocols on chain of custody maintenance, evidence gathering, and high-quality documentation. |
| To describe the perception of the importance of forensic role behaviors performed by nurses in emergency departments23. |
In cases of child physical abuse, the forensic practice must be identified and performed. This is one of the main functions performed by forensic nurses. |
| To assess the impact of introducing a sexual assault and domestic violence program in the emergency department with forensic evidence collection24. |
There was a significant increase in pelvic examinations, in the use of the forensic kit, and in the forensic chain. The rates of anogenital lesions, pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Infections decreased. The flow in the emergency department was optimized. |
| To develop an evidence-based set of guidelines for forensic evidence collection25. |
The guidelines address the use of equipment by the professionals; use of the evidence collection kit; general physical evaluation of the patient; adequate collection of fluids, belongings and materials; storage and proper documentation, use of photographs; collection of evidence left by the victim during evaluation. |
| To describe the types of forensic evidence of firearm injuries and to describe the nurses’ role in treating victims of gunshot wound26. |
The primary evidence on a gunshot victim is clothing, bullets, gunpowder, and primer. Nursing has the role of acting in the clinic, in communication and collaboration with the authorities. |
| To describe and compare the forensic knowledge, practice and experiences of nurses and emergency physicians27. |
Physicians and nurses have the same level of knowledge, and they showed confidence in the collection and documentation of possible evidence. |
| To compare the care quality indicators in a pediatric emergency department before and after the implementation of a program of pediatric sexual assault nurse examiners28. |
Implementation of the program maximized care, reduced the time of care, increased the collection of sexual violence kits, and the evaluation and documentation of pregnancy testing and of Sexually Transmitted Infections. |
| To show the role of collecting and preserving evidence as a Nursing competence of the emergency department29. |
For collection and preservation, there should be informative evidence (stories, expressions, odors); tangible physical evidence (macroscopic and/or microscopic) through protocols and techniques, using forensic kits; to establish the chain of custody. |
| To describe the nurses’ views on the forensic care provided to victims of violence and their families in emergency departments30. |
Most of them knew about the care protocols, cooperated with the authorities and involved families in the victim’s care process. |
| To identify categories of forensic patients in the intensive care unit and emergency department31. |
The identification of 27 categories of forensic patients made it possible to properly recognize, document and collect evidence according to each lesion, before offering the necessary care for the patient’s wounds. |
| To evaluate professionals who worked in 112 emergency centers on how to act in forensic cases6. |
Most of the professionals were unable to recognize, preserve, protect and did not communicate adequately to the authorities. |
| To describe the need for a collaborative relationship between the advanced practice of Forensic Nursing in the emergency department and intensive care environments32. |
Nurses are the link between the patient, the health system and the law. Their function is the recognition, collection, documentation, photodocumentation and completion of reports, so that the evidence is delivered to the authorities. |
| To address incidents with active snipers in the United States in public places, including hospitals33. |
Spontaneous reaction, post-event actions and evidence collection procedures should be part of the continuous actions of emergency nurses. |
| To define Nursing care in cases of trauma on the collection and preservation of forensic evidence in the emergency department34. |
Nurses should recognize the impact of trauma on the patients, early recognition of evidence, so that collection and preservation is part of the care plan, collaborate with other emergency professionals and guide the patients’ privacy and rights. |
| To investigate the knowledge and practice of emergency professionals on forensic processes during care for victims of violence7. |
Half of them were unaware of the collection, documentation and preservation procedures. There was no habit of collecting and documenting objects present in the victim’s body, hospital materials and devices used during the procedures. |
| To determine the levels of knowledge of emergency department health professionals in the treatment of frequently encountered forensic cases35. |
There was a low level of forensic training and the professionals, who are not prepared to carry out the practices, must make their own identification record for the authorities. |
| To determine the Nursing professionals’ knowledge level regarding the approach to cases and forensic tests36. |
The Nursing professionals did not have the knowledge and technical competence to perform forensic tasks; as they did not receive adequate training for this, they thought that the role would be the Police responsibility. |
| To evaluate the relationship between nurses’ knowledge and performance of forensic evidence procedures37. |
Most of the nurses knew the items for documentation and performed them in practice. Only 10.2% knew the procedures for preservation and evidence collection, but less than 1% practiced them. |
Preservation of forensic traces by Nursing in emergency services: a scoping review
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