Sexual assault consultations – From high risk to high reliability

Practices and attitudes of specialists in Forensic Medicine in the management of general health care needs of victims of sexual violence

“…Judging from the comments, one reason for not using effective communication skills could be the traditional stand that medico-legal professionals have to appear impassive and without expression in order to appear impartial. On the contrary, an ideal SpFM should be sensitive to the victim's physical and psychological trauma while avoiding partisanship [4] and being impartial [1]. Another reason is the inadequate training in nonverbal communication skills as commented by one or even lack of awareness for its necessity in SAFM [9].…”

“…The "victim-friendly approach or management" advocated in many SAFM protocols recognizes that "every sexually assaulted victim deserves timely, compassionate, respectful and appropriate care" [3]. In many centres in the developed countries appropriate care in SAFM includes the treatment of injuries, prevention of unwanted pregnancies, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STI), and the provision of psycho-social support and adequate rehabilitation programs [3,4] in addition to the collection of forensic evidence. In these countries, victims are often referred to emergency medical units where all these services are available under one roof.…”