Providing eHealth following sexual assault for survivors, informal and formal service providers

Background: Sexual assault (SA) is a global issue affecting not only survivors but also informal (e.g., partners, family) and formal support providers (e.g., nurses, police, psychologists) (Hansen et al., 2021; Koss et al., 2020). In recent years, electronic communication for health promotion (eHealth) has been increasingly provided to help survivors of SA and COVID-19 made this particularly evident as face-to-face services became unavailable. Although eHealth proved invaluable during the pandemic research indicate that the needs of survivors and support providers are not sufficiently met, increasing the risk of negative consequences following SA.
Objective: By combining existing research and utilizing user involvement the present study will further develop and implement eHealth at a Center for SA in Aarhus, Denmark, for three user groups: survivors, informal and formal support providers. The first objective is to identify the needs of the three groups and the second objective is to address these needs by developing, implementing, and assessing the eHealth service provision at the center.
Method: Research is systematically reviewed, and interviews are conducted continuously with representation of the three groups. Interviews are analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis.
Preliminary results: Representatives emphasized that eHealth services should be trauma-informed, up-to-date, and easy to navigate, and that content should be individualized to meet the unique needs of each user group.
Conclusions: It is important to apply user involvement when implementing trauma-informed eHealth services to ensure that the needs of all those affected by the SA are addressed (e.g., survivors, informal-, and formal support providers).