At a crime scene involving a female sexual assault victim, which action is MOST appropriate?

At a crime scene involving a female sexual assault victim, which action is MOST appropriate?

• A. Clean the woman's hands
• B. Report the finding of blood under nails to your supervisor
• C. Place bags over her hands and stay with the patient until police arrive
• D. Scrape dried blood into a bag and give it to the triage nurse to pass on to the police

Answer: (C)

Preserving evidence while ensuring the victim’s safety and dignity is the primary goal. Placing bags over the woman’s hands helps protect potential physical evidence, such as nail scrapings or skin cells, from contamination or loss. Staying with her until police arrive supports her safety and helps maintain the proper flow of the investigation, including any needed documentation and witness statements, while preserving the scene and chain of custody. Actions like cleaning the hands, reporting findings to a supervisor for later handling, or scraping and handing evidence to medical staff could alter or contaminate evidence and disrupt the investigation.

Preserving evidence while ensuring the victim’s safety and dignity is the primary goal. Placing bags over the woman’s hands helps protect potential physical evidence, such as nail scrapings or skin cells, from contamination or loss. Staying with her until police arrive supports her safety and helps maintain the proper flow of the investigation, including any needed documentation and witness statements, while preserving the scene and chain of custody. Actions like cleaning the hands, reporting findings to a supervisor for later handling, or scraping and handing evidence to medical staff could alter or contaminate evidence and disrupt the investigation.