Child sexual abuse: comprehensive assessment in the pediatric health care setting.
Cases of child sexual abuse are being identified with increasing frequency in pediatric health care settings. Medical practitioners, however, often report being unprepared to offer the psychological and protective service assessments these cases require in addition to medical evaluation and treatment. An interdisciplinary model for sexual abuse assessments is described. Three components--emergency response, consultative services, and a specialty clinic--are outlined. Special problems which arise in the assessment of sexual abuse in the health care setting are discussed. These involve the role of medical evidence, stereotyping of sexual abuse victims, and impediments to child protection. The implications of the increasing demand for sexual abuse services for the training of new professionals are considered.
D001900:Boston; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D006745:Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006782:Hospitals, Special; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012944:Social Support