Emergency Department Management of the Sexual Assault Victim in the COVID Era: A Model SAFET-I Guideline From San Diego County

Date of Review: March, 2021

Koenig KL, Benjamin SB, Beÿ CK, Dickinson S, Shores M. Emergency Department Management of the Sexual Assault Victim in the COVID Era: A Model SAFET-I Guideline From San Diego County. J Emerg Med. 2020;59(6):964-974. doi:10.1016/j.jemermed.2020.07.047

Dr. Koeng and colleagues describe the development of the SAFET-I tool on the management of sexual assault victims in the ER. The SAFET-I tool was created from the work of a multidisciplinary team involving law enforcement, forensic evidence technicians, and health care professionals in San Diego County to revise their local evidence-based, trauma-informed guidelines for frontline emergency practitioners. The authors outline five components of effective sexual assault patient care incorporated in the SAFET-I tool: stabilization, alert system activation, forensic evidence consideration, expedited post-assault treatment, and trauma-informed care. This framework can be used as an educational tool and template for agencies interested in developing or adapting existing sexual assault policies. —Erin Goss