Evaluating the Impact of Clinical Training on Quality and Comprehensive Care for Survivors of Sexual Violence

The  IRC provides  clinical care to  survivors of sexual  assault among populations  affected by conflict or natural  disaster. Training healthcare workers  has been recognized as a key component  of improving the delivery of competent and compassionate clinical care for sexual assault survivors,  yet most currently available training tools are not for use in resource-poor medical settings.  The IRC developed the Clinical Care for Sexual Assault Survivors multimedia training tool in 2008  using actors, case studies, and interviews that closely reflect the resource-poor settings where the IRC works. The training tool includes pre- and post-tests to evaluate short-term gains in knowledge after the training, but  there has been no systematic review of the tool’s longer-term impact on clinical competency, compassion, and care delivery at health facilities.  

This evaluation examined sustained facility-wide changes in staff competency, compassion, and care delivery three months following Clinical Care for Sexual Assault Survivors (CCSAS) training in Kenya and Ethiopia in 2010–2011 and in the DRC and Jordan in 2011–2012.  Study results indicate that training with the CCSAS multimedia tool effectively improved the capacity of healthcare providers and the quality of care delivered three months after the intervention in diverse humanitarian settings around the world.