Sexual Health | Sexual assault/abuse and medicolegal issues | Clinical management of sexual assault in adults and young people

Clinical management of sexual assault in adults and young people
Session overview
Description
This session covers the management of male and female victims of sexual assault and post-pubertal victims of child sexual abuse, excluding forensic sampling.

Learning objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• explain how to manage a complainant of sexual assault
• explain how to initiate and undertake a chain of evidence for samples
• describe post-exposure prophylaxis for complainants of sexual assault
   

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should have completed:

• Module 8/Sexual assault and exploitation in adults (260-0090)

As you have seen in the session Sexual assault and exploitation in adults(read details regarding the session), sexual assault and rape are common in all societies affecting all genders, adults and children.

When disclosure of rape or sexual assault occurs in a clinical setting, you must be able to manage the individual needs of the patient. These may include:

• emergency contraception
• prevention and management of STIs, including HIV
• the psycho-social needs of the complainant or patient

The clinical management should be offered using trauma-informed principles. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) offers guidance on Trauma-informed Practice with particular emphasis on choice, control and empowerment (see the Links section in Resources).

The session should be considered part of a broader learning programme. You should not expect to be competent, following completion of the session alone or to carry out the procedures described without supervision.