PERFORMANCE OF THE FORENSIC NURSE IN CASES OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Nursing is an area that works with the aim of providing health promotion and prevention to recovering patients. Its field of activity is increasingly broad and diverse. And forensic nursing is a recent and important area to be consolidated, it has already been recognized by the Federal Nursing Council (COFEN) as a specialty. Professionals with this specialization are essential in several areas, such as care for victims of sexual violence. With their technical skills, legal support and humanized outlook, the forensic nurse becomes a fundamental player in welcoming these victims. OBJECTIVE: To explore the role of forensic nurses in cases of sexual violence against women. METHODOLOGY: This is a literature review, which was promoted through the VHL, through the DeSC: “Forensic nursing, violence against women, sexual violence, using the inclusion criteria: all articles in Portuguese, English and Spanish , full text, published in the last five years, excluding studies with samples not related to the work of forensic nursing, studies in languages ​​other than English, Portuguese and Spanish, and studies focusing on other topics that were not related the theme. After the search, 231 documents were recovered, of which, based on the exclusion criteria, 106 remained for reading the title and selection. Then, 108 remained for complete reading and thus, 8 articles were carefully chosen to construct this work. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: The role of the forensic nurse stands out notably in comparison to other professionals in the area of ​​justice, due to their crucial role in carrying out detailed examinations and collecting evidence without contamination. These elements are extremely important for the success of investigations. In cases subject to questions about their practices, forensic nurses must be equipped with evidence, traces and evidence to support their actions. CONCLUSION: In short, it was observed that, although it is a natural need in emergency services, forensic nursing still lacks wide dissemination at a national level. Nurses are often the first to provide care to victims of violence, but they often do not feel adequately prepared to deal with cases of sexual violence.