Saturday 12 May 2012

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issue:Doctor’s role must be ethical to help the rape victim during medical examination



A woman who has been raped often encounters painful and humiliating procedures when she reports her sexual assault even in the hospital emergency room where she may have to wait a long time for a medical examination and the collection of evidence that is needed to convict a suspect. She often has little privacy while she waits. The offence of rape is a brutal crime not only against the human body; it also affects mind and soul of victim resulting in rape crisis syndrome.
The Doctor who examines a rape victim in hospital should listen and act fast as counselor to release some of the emotions to make the victim feel calm and comfortable. A program called SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners) that has been established in Tulsa, Oklahoma and several other U.S. cities, seeks to treat the emotional, physical, and legal needs of rape victims with greater consideration and sensitivity.
  • A medical professional should test for STDs, including HIV/AIDS to start treatment courses for protection against developing these diseases.
  • Treatment to prevent an unwanted pregnancy
  • A medical examination to check for any internal injury that might have been caused by the rape.
  • A medical professional or trained technician may look for and take samples of the rapist’s hair, skin, nails, or bodily fluids from victim clothes or body.
  • A doctor can test for a rape drug, if the victim thinks that she may have been given a rape drug, a doctor can test for this, too. Be aware that this toxicology test covers any and all illegal drugs.
  • At any time during the medical exam, the victim can say if you don’t want a certain test performed or evidence collected. All procedures are being done to help victim and can only be done by valid consent of victim.
  • Victims should be seen in private rooms that are decorated to avoid the look of a sterile, hospital waiting room.
  • The nurse examiner allows the victim to complete the examination at her own pace, in from one to five hours.
  • A police officer should be requested to be available to transport the evidence to laboratory for analysis.
(Ref: TC Carmody. 2002. "A Feminist Repudiation of the Rape Shield Laws." Drake Law Review 51 October).

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