Preparing for the Medical Exam
Whether the sexual abuse medical exam will be through Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center or through another source, it is important that both caretaker and child are prepared for the exam.
First, seek an examiner with sex abuse evaluation training and then explain the evaluation process to the child.
In most situations, an examiner who has specific training in sexual abuse will provide a more complete and accurate evaluation than an examiner without such training. Clinics or other practices that specialize in child abuse evaluations are preferable to emergency Departments or general practitioners. Urgent evaluations for forensic evidence collection or serious symptoms may require the use of the emergency Department.
Explain the evaluation process to the child and reassure him / her that the evaluation should not be painful. The evaluation for most children will include a medical history, a short general physical examination and external inspection.
It is highly unusual for a pre-adolescent child to require an internal vaginal or rectal examination, making the examination is different and less invasive than an adult pelvic examination.
This preparation should reduce the child's and caretaker's anxiety and will contribute to a more comfortable and informative examination.
