The purpose of this proposed formative evaluation study is to advance knowledge and understanding of forensic nursing program delivery of intimate partner violence medical forensic examinations

This Project Grant award of $575,200.00 from the National Institute of Justice, under the Crime Victim Assistance/Discretionary Grants program (CFDA 16.582), supports a two-year formative evaluation study to advance knowledge and understanding of forensic nursing program delivery of intimate partner violence medical forensic examinations. The study will be conducted across three distinct U.S. sites and engage multiple key stakeholders, including justice system partners, advocates, and survivors of intimate partner violence. The project activities include collecting, analyzing, and interpreting qualitative and quantitative data to create three logic models, which will inform the development of an intimate partner violence medical forensic examination program implementation guide with evaluation criteria. The findings from this study will be disseminated through various channels, including manuscripts, presentations, podcasts, and webinars, to forensic nurses, multidisciplinary stakeholders, and policymakers. The datasets and logic models will also be archived in the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data.

The formative evaluation will occur in three distinct united states sites to capture information from forensic nursing teams in different stages and delivery formats of intimate partner violence medical forensic examinations. Multiple key stakeholders, including justice system partners, advocates, and survivors of intimate partner violence, will be actively engaged to contribute to the study findings. This phased study will result in the creation of three logic models, the first step in the development of an intimate partner violence medical forensic examination program implementation guide with evaluation criteria. Project activities include collection, analysis, and interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data will be obtained from focus groups of forensic nurses and key multidisciplinary community stakeholders: law enforcement, prosecutors, advocates, forensic scientists, and community domestic violence experts, recruited through the participating forensic nursing teams and local sexual assault response teams/intimate partner violence multi-disciplinary teams. Additional qualitative data will be gathered through semi-structured interviews of survivors of intimate partner violence, both those who received medical forensic examinations and those who did not. Rich quantitative data will be collected through a retrospective review of intimate partner violence medical forensic examination charts in all three sites. In one site, quantitative data on the cases associated with the intimate partner violence medical forensic examination charts will be followed through with case processing data from law enforcement and prosecutor data. Intimate partner violence disproportionately affects marginalized populations including minority women, members of the lgbtq+ population, individuals with disabilities, and homeless individuals. Data will be obtained specific to these marginalized populations on their access and utilization of intimate partner violence medical forensic examinations to inform the logic models. Recommendations to advance service equity and remove barriers to access of intimate partner violence medical forensic examinations for these marginalized populations will be presented. The findings from this formative evaluation, two-year study on intimate partner violence medical forensic examinations program delivery will be shared through a robust dissemination plan including manuscripts, presentations, podcasts and webinars to forensic nurses, multidisciplinary key stakeholders, and policymakers. The developed logic models will create a framework for future research on intimate partner violence medical forensic examinations program delivery. All datasets and logic models will be archived in the national archive of criminal justice data. CA/NCF