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  • An overview of violence and sexual abuse in children: global data, policy responses, and multidisciplinary approaches in health care
    Publication . Coelho, Nuno; Neves, Anabela; Gregório, João
    News of sexual abuse against children is increasingly common. This paper aims to describe the historical and social progress of sexual violence against children through a narrative review of the literature, with the goal of understanding how health systems deal with sexual violence against children, as well as to identify the costs to society and to children's personal lives. The history and latest global and national data on sexual abuse against children are presented, revealing that violence against children is emerging as an endemic threat worldwide, resulting in serious social and health problems, with higher prevalence in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries. In these higherresource countries, understanding and detecting what is abuse and what is not abuse in a given situation is supported by a multidisciplinary team, involving professionals from different sectors. Thus, it is important that all actors be enabled to articulate their actions, working with the goal of safeguarding well-being and development of children.
  • Physicians and nurses professional relationship with criminal investigation in dealing with survivors of sexual abuse: a scoping review
    Publication . Coelho, Nuno; Neves, Anabela; Gregório, João
    Survivors of sexual abuse and their families seek help from criminal law enforcement agencies and health professionals to obtain justice and health care. Many communities have implemented multi-professional collaborative models so that the victim’s well-being is assured and the truth is established. However, there is a general lack of evidence on how to best articulate these teams with the healthcare professionals caring for the survivors. Therefore, this Scoping Review was conducted in order to analyze and to map the barriers and facilitators of the relationship between health professionals and the criminal investigation team in the care of survivors of sexual abuse. The methodology proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute for Scoping Reviews was used, and the Bronstein five dimension model of interprofessional collaboration served as the basis for the analysis of barriers and facilitators. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed studies, primary and secondary sources, text and opinion documents were included. Content analysis was performed on the main findings of the collected studies. Twelve articles were identified and analyzed. Collaboration, communication, hierarchy, skills, confidentiality, and leadership emerged as key themes. Multidisciplinary Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) and Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs) were implemented to coordinate care, but conflicting goals and values among professionals posed challenges. Communication failures and inadequate information sharing hindered collaboration. Neutral leaders who coordinate teams, minimize groupthink, and improve decision-making were found to be valuable. Engaging across disciplinary boundaries and addressing power dynamics were challenging but could be addressed through facilitation and conflict resolution. This review highlights the importance of effective collaboration and interaction within teams and with other professionals in the care of sexual abuse survivors.