Conclusion: The Successful SANE Program

All SANE programs should provide comprehensive and compassionate nursing care to survivors of sexual assault. This Guide provides a framework and not a blueprint for making this type of care a reality. While steps are provided to help communities through the process, each program should incorporate aspects of care that reflect the unique needs of the survivors they serve.  

Throughout the process of program development, the SANE must maintain a nursing focus that recognizes the importance of caring for the patient and their family, other members of the multidisciplinary team, the community, and finally, the value of self-care for the nurses themselves. The success of a SANE program cannot be fully measured by the number of patients seen or the number of cases prosecuted. A successful program will maintain a patient-centered approach as their nurses provide care to women, men, and children after an event that has been described by one researcher as "one of the most psychologically damaging forms of crime that anybody could experience."115 The ultimate outcome for a program is to have every survivor feel cared for in a manner that allows them to start rebuilding their life after the assault. The reward for having done the job right is to hear a patient say,

"The respect they give you, the humanizing qualities that they try to bring to the situation, it makes it easier to take each small step at a time... ."¹¹⁶