Limitations of the medical evaluation for child sexual abuse.
The purpose of this review is to highlight the inherent difficulties that a clinician faces during the evaluation of child sexual abuse cases. Each component of the medical evaluation has its own unique problems. Some of them are caused by the nature of the abusive relationship, while others are the result of the children's limited verbal skills. Readers should be aware of these limitations as they formulate an opinion at the conclusion of the examination.
Muram
D
D
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, State University of New York, Health Sciences Center at Brooklyn 11203, USA. dmuram@netmail.hscbklyn.edu
Laufer
M R
MR
D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010808:Physical Examination; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations