PURPOSE
To present guidelines for a community needs assessment for a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program using Neuman's Systems Model. The guidelines provide advanced practice nurses with a holistic, systematic means to conduct an assessment prior to the implementation of a SANE program and facilitate collaborative work with other disciplines and agencies.
DATA SOURCES
Selected research-based articles on sexual assault, classic texts and writings on Neuman's Systems Model, and community assessment models and programs.
CONCLUSIONS
Sexual assault is a problem faced by almost every community. A thorough community assessment is an important first step in establishing programs that adequately meet a com-munity's needs. Guidelines for conducting such an assessment related to implementation of a SANE program are rare, and guidelines using a nursing model were not found in the literature.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
One program that has been successful in meeting community needs is the SANE