The SANE Program of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health created a work group to evaluate the sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing and drug prophylaxis protocol for survivors aged 12 or over. A chart review assessed the care given to survivors and determined the prevalence of STDs at the time of the examination. There were 297 charts of sexual assault survivors aged 12 and over examined at the four sites since the program was established (05/97 to 07/99). The great majority of survivors were female (92.7%) and the mean age was 24.9 years. The test positivity rate for cervical Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) was 0.4% and 0.8% respectively. There were no positive pharyngeal tests for CT or NG and no rectal positive tests for CT. The one patient who tested positive for NG at the anus was also positive at the cervix. There were no positive tests for syphilis. Patients who tested positive for CT and NG received STD prophylaxis medication at the time of the examination adequate for treatment. The low STD morbidity and the overall acceptance of prophylactic STD medication did not provide justification to recommend routine STD screening in SANE sites. We will describe the changes made to the protocol and the training based on these findings and other observations. Epidemiology of STDs varies by region and can be helpful in guiding the development of guidelines in the care of survivors of sexaul assault.
Learning Objectives: 1)The learner will describe the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) among survivors age 12 and over at the time of the examination 2)The learner will assess the changes made to the STD protocol and SANE training based on these findings and other observations
Keywords: Sexual Assault, STD
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program (SANE) of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.