Citation

McGregor MJ, Mont JD, White D, Coombes ME. Health Care Women Int. 2009; 30(1-2): 22-40.

Affiliation

Centre for Clinical Epidemiology&Evaluation, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/07399330802523519

PMID

19116820

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the extent to which recent peer-reviewed published literature on the acute management of sexual assault was women-centered. We developed indicators and a framework that operationalized women-centered care provision in the context of sexual assault. We then reviewed and evaluated the literature in relation to these indicators. A systematic search identified a total of 20 relevant articles for inclusion in the analysis. These were published in medical journals (65%, 13/20), nursing journals (20%, 4/20), and journals targeted toward other health care practitioners (15%, 3/20), and originated from the United States (65%, 13/20), the United Kingdom (15%, 3/20), Australia (10%, 2/20), Spain (5%, 1/20), and Canada (5%, 1/20) between January 2000 and August 2005. We found little acknowledgment of the inherent tensions faced by sexual assault examiners in providing women-centered care. Moreover, absent from most articles were discussions of the complexities of consent in sexual assault examinations, social justice issues, the need for gender-sensitive training for health care providers, and a critical appraisal of colposcopic and DNA technologies. Indicators of respect, safety and restoring control, and connections to community were present in the majority of articles.

Language: en