Forensic Healthcare Online

(photo courtesy of beezy)

Although you wouldn’t know it if you’d been in Seattle with me, today is my actual birthday.

But, hey–I figure 40 deserves a full week.

Thanks to all of you who’ve made it a killer celebration…

I was asked to do a post on literature searches, and since I’m always harping on the importance of keeping up with the science, I think it’s a good idea. There are many ways to access current literature, so I’ll outline a few here. But before we get to where, let’s take a minute to look at how.

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It’s been a fantastic week here in Seattle. If you saw me, though, it probably wasn’t while I was sitting down–so busy out here! As with many conferences I attend, much of the highlights happened behind the scenes and after hours as I had the opportunity to network with colleagues and see good friends. That being said, there have also been some standout sessions, several of which I have mentioned previously. And today? Without question, Dr. Rebecca Campbell’s presentation of her research on the impact of SANE programs on prosecution. Although the study findings haven’t been published yet, you can find some of her evaluation resources at the sustainability site this week. Also over at the site (and forgive me for the light postings–long days we’ve been having in Seattle):

• An examination of prioritizing resources using cost-effectiveness analysis
• No Friday Q&A (it fell through), but information for program coordinators who want to be featured in this popular weekly segment

It was great seeing so many of you out here. Thanks to everyone who stopped and introduced themselves or passed along lovely comments. Back in the CLE next week. Have a great weekend!

Physicians: The Virtual Lecture Hall has the mother of all online DV continuing education courses: Current Management of Domestic Violence–Responding to IPV. For $20 a credit, you can earn up to 16 AMA/PRA Category 1 credits (or up to 16 AAFP prescribed credits). The course is case-based, with video and narration (check out a sample clip here). CMEs valid through April 2010. Although it was initially crafted in 2004, the site reports updates as recently as summer of ‘08.

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Yesterday we talked about Facebook and privacy settings. Today, I want to mention a few other sites people may want to think about as more and more of our lives ends up in the public domain. Being proactive about managing your online presence can protect you down the road when you end up testifying in court, so while some of this may seem over the top, you can never fully anticipate what might come up down the road.

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A couple highlights from day 1 of the SANE-SART meeting: John Clune’s stellar talk on high profile media cases; Tara Henry and Andre Rosay’s research on unconscious victims (PDF) (I only got to stay for half–such good stuff, though); and Dr. Sharon Cooper’s examination of child exploitation.

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Many of us in this profession spend time in court and are used to the challenges of expert testimony. But as people have more and more of a presence online, careless posts, profiles and pics (alliteration! at 5:30 AM!) are surfacing as an issue with increasing frequency. In the talk I’m giving today in Seattle, we’ll be discussing surviving cross examination, and in doing so, discussing the issue of online presence, including the use of social networking sites like Facebook.

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The National Association of Medical Examiners has 5 cause of death tutorials on their web site. They were published in 2005, so not being a death investigator myself, I’m not sure if there is more current info available on the topic (if you know will you tell us?). The offerings include:

• Writing Cause of Death Statements–Basic Principles
• Writing Cause of Death Statements in SIDS
• Writing Cause of Death Statements Involving Injury or Poisoning
• Quick Tips on Writing Cause of Death Statements
• Writing Cause of Death Statements

They’re free of charge and printable, should you decide to share information with other team members.

It’s always when you’re looking for something else entirely that you stumble on to the most fascinating things. Take for instance, Medical Algorithms (www.medal.org), a humble-looking site that is a treasure trove of “Scales, Tools, Assessments, Scoring Systems, and other Algorithms”–13,500 to be exact. The site requires (free) registration to use; they want little more than email, password and profession before you’re in the door.

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Next week I will be posting from Seattle where the SANE-SART Conference will be taking place. If you’re going to be there, please stop and say hello. You’ll find me at the NSVRC table in the exhibit hall from time to time, and I will also be teaching 2 sessions (both with the fabulous Roger Canaff): Surviving Cross Examination and Injury Documentation. Before I head out of town, though, here’s a look at what’s going on over at the Sustainability site this week:

• Fantastic financial management resources from the Nonprofit Assistance Fund
• A look at the nexus of staff retention and nursing leadership
• A pretty comprehensive list of engagement strategies for nonprofits from the Fieldstone Alliance folks
• A stellar Friday Q&A with my partner in crime, Valorie Prulhiere

Have a great holiday weekend. Hope to see you out west!

Lippincott, in conjunction with the Journal of Nursing Administration: Healthcare Law, Ethics and Regulation, has an online CE offering on the basics of EMTALA, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. This is an issue near and dear to the hearts of those of us who provide care for sexual assault patients; the nuances of the act are not always well understood. Cost is $24.95 and 2.5 CEUs are available (sorry, no physician hours on this one). The offering is your standard article-posttest format. Be aware: the CE offer expires 9/30/09.

[EMTALA overview]

In chatting with people this week at EVAW, one of the issues that came up several times was the use of telemedicine (or telehealth as some people label it) to enhance forensic clinical practice. Many programs are contemplating using this technology as a way to implement a quality assurance process using more experienced clinicians or to help new clinicians obtain confidence with the clinical exam through remote support and guidance.

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From the Center of Excellence in Elder Abuse and Neglect:  Bruising in Older Adults–Accidental and Inflicted (LINK HAS BEEN FIXED). This podcast reviews two studies about bruising in the elderly and discusses the all important issue of using color to accurately age bruises.

Part of the work of the Center of Excellence is the Elder Abuse Forensic Center. To read about their finding, check out their report in The Gerontologist here. They also have published a PDF with links to images of physical markers of elder abuse, which you can access here.

Medscape has a new CE offering, Bullied Kids More Likely to Become Psychotic Preteens. It’s in your standard article-posttest format. 0.25 credits are available for both physicians and nurses. The article is based on a published study in the current issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. As with all Medscape offerings, it’s free of charge, but site registration is required.

OVC TTAC has just released an online curriculum, Ethics in Victim Services. It’s a “training designed to explore common ethical conflicts and how to apply ethical standards and decisionmaking to resolve them. Use this download center to gather all the materials you’ll need to conduct the training.” The site consists of 6 training modules and a presenter’s toolbox that includes a customizeable agenda, instructor and participant manuals, Powerpoint slides and vignettes.

Lots of interesting stuff here. Let us know if you end up working with it and how it goes…