Telehealth provides support to rural consultants on forensic examinations for sexual abuse

Telehealth support for rural consultants is shown to improve the quality of forensic exams for sexual abuse, according to a study published in Child Abuse & Neglect. It showed that clinicians with access to nurses at UC Davis conducted more thorough exams and made more accurate diagnosis.

The UC Davis nurses were connected with rural clinicians through a secure telehealth network that provided both video and audio, which virtually put expert nurses in the room with examining clinicians, according to an announcement from UC Davis. The consultations worked as safety nets for clinicians, patients and parents, which ensured that procedures were accurate.

"Providing telehealth support really improves the quality of these forensic exams," said study author Sheridan Miyamoto, a forensic nurse practitioner and research nurse at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis. Announcement