Medical interview of sexually abused children

Physicians seeing sexually abused children in their practices often fail to recognize the abuse. Recognizing the frequency of child sexual abuse and variety of presentations will alert physicians to seek explanation. Physicians should know the common behavior of perpetrators and how to encourage children to reveal and describe the abuse. Information gained through effective interviewing can be used to plan appropriate medical investigations, to form the basis of a protective service report, and as a sound introduction to counseling for sexual assault. Improved medical support to protective service agencies will improve their capacity to protect victims of sexual abuse, and competent educational support by physicians will improve their immediate and long-term emotional adjustment.