Acute management of the sexual assault victim

Sexual assault victims usually seek emergency medical care at urban hospitals. The incidence of over 52,000 cases a year reported by the FBI does not include instances in which the victim died, cases of statutory rape (victim below the age of consent), or cases not confirmed by the police. It is well known that sexual assault is one of the most unreported crimes. The incidence of this crime in affluent communities is unknown. Rape occurs in any community but nonhospital professional services may be more easily available in some.The office practitioner may feel ill-equipped to deal with this kind of problem because such patients seldom come to a private office; although in a survey done in 1976, 33 percent of family practitioners stated that they see several rape victims each year. (1) The practitioner may be hesitant about getting involved in litigation. Experience indicates that by following the approach described and documenting facts clearly, physicians will prevent disruption of their busy schedules by unfamiliar court routines, and at the same time provide what society, the victim, and the alleged assailant expect of him as a member of the health care team.