Evaluating an e-learning curriculum for forensic nurse examiners on providing supports to persons sex trafficked

Abstract

Sex trafficking is a pervasive health and human rights issue, disproportionately experienced by structurally marginalized women and girls, in Canada and globally. Specialized forensic nurses are well positioned to respond to sex trafficking by offering needed supports, however, comprehensive training focused specifically on sex trafficking was lacking. We therefore developed and evaluated an e-learning curriculum for forensic nurses working at Ontario, Canada’s 37 Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centres, focusing on the acquisition of necessary knowledge and skills to respond appropriately to diverse sex trafficked persons. The 1.5-hour interactive curriculum was developed with insights from an advisory group of experts with personal and/or professional experience in sex trafficking and evaluated from September 2023 to March 2024. Paired t-tests were used to compare pre- to post-training mean ratings of sex trafficking care expertise (1 = no expertise to 5 = very high level expertise) and key knowledge and skills (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) associated with 25 learning objectives organized into six domains (significance p <.05). 189 nurses completed the curriculum, 97.8% of whom were women and 42.6% were aged 25–34 year. 58% had provided care to a person who had been/is currently being trafficked. Self-reported expertise improved significantly from pre- to post-training (Mean[M] = 2.2, Standard deviation [SD] = 0.8 vs. M = 3.3 SD = 0.7, respectively; p <.001) as did knowledge and skills across all six domains: Understanding the Issue (M = 3.5, SD = 0.6 vs. M = 4.4, SD = 0.5; p <.001), Initial Assessment (M = 3.1, SD = 0.8 vs. M = 4.2, SD = 0.5; p <.001), Medical Examination and Treatment (M = 4.0, SD = 0.6 vs. M = 4.4, SD = 0.5; p <.001), Discharge (M = 3.2, SD = 0.8 vs. M = 4.2, SD = 0.5; p <.001), Follow-up Visit (M = 3.2, SD = 0.9 vs. M = 4.2, SD = 0.6; p <.001), and Resources (M = 3.2, SD = 0.8 vs. M = 4.1, SD = 0.5; p <.001). Our curriculum shows promise in improving the expertise, knowledge, and skillsnecessary to respond to those sex trafficked and could serve as a blueprint for training forensicnurses in other jurisdictions.