Recommending practice development for registered nurses in remote Northwest Territories, Canada through participation in sexual assault nurse examiner education

Abstract

Background: Registered nurses (RNs) providing care in remote Northwest Territories (NT), Canada must be dedicated to providing person-centred care to a largely indigenous population. The risk of sexual assault (SA) for Indigenous women is three times higher than that of non-Indigenous women; however, women in the NT do not receive the specialist care of a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE). Furthermore, as colonial approaches to healthcare are identified, Indigenous epistemologies, such as etuaptmumk and Piliriqatigiinniq, are increasingly utilized to inform care of Indigenous peoples. Purpose: To recommend a practice development project which would provide an opportunity for RNs to acquire SANE education and become the primary care providers for women presenting to the emergency department (ED) in the post-SA period. Methods: To preface the proposal, a literature review and stakeholder consultations were prepared. Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation theory, emancipatory practice development, and local and global Indigenous epistemologies were utilized to direct the proposal. Results: The literature review and stakeholder consultations provided support for implementing RN-led post-SA care in the ED. Accordingly, a project proposal was conceived as a way of proposing, implementing, and evaluating Indigenous-informed, person-centred, RN-led post-SA care in the ED. Conclusion: This project exhibits the advanced nursing competencies of direct comprehensive care, health system optimization, education, research, and consultation and collaboration. The proposed project will inform nursing practice development, encourage transformational practice development, and improve patient care in the post-SA period.