Article Text
Abstract
Background/introduction The Office for National Statistics show that 1/5 of women and 1/40 men over 16 years report having been a victim of sexual assault (SA).
Aim(s)/objectives To identify vulnerability factors (VFs) including alcohol/substance misuse and mental health conditions, in patients presenting as a direct result of a SA or who disclose a previous SA during a routine consultation.
Methods Retrospective notes review of 2 patient groups to identify VF disclosure;
All new presentations during a 2 week period disclosing previous SA during their consultation.
All presentations to sexual health over a 3 month period directly related to a SA.
Results Group 1: 291 attendances. 19 (6.5%) (16 female, 3 male) disclosed previous a SA, 3 were <18 yrs.
Group 2: 34 attendances (32 females, 2 males) aged 13–61 years (8 were <18 years). Those with VFs are shown in the table below.
Discussion/conclusion Over 50% of patients had 2 or more identifiable VFs. Increasing staff awareness of VFs and improving links with support services may help to reduce the risk of sexual assault in vulnerable groups by allowing earlier identification of those at risk.