Whether they’re collecting fingernail scrapings, documenting ligature marks or gunshot wounds, or swabbing for potential DNA the forensic nurses’ first priority is always the health and safety of their patient:
“Forensic Nurses are essential in providing a healthcare response to patients who have experienced trauma – be it sexual assault, intimate partner violence, elder abuse and neglect, child maltreatment, human trafficking, or other forms of intentional or unintentional injury,” said International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) president, Jenifer Markowitz ND, RN, WHNP-BC.
Studies show a strong link between violence and short- and long-term healthcare issues, with patients who experience violence or abuse accessing the healthcare system at least twice as frequently as those without a history.