Follow-up of rape victims in a family practice setting.
South Med J, 1976/12;69(12):1569-71.
Kaufman A, Vandermeer J, DiVasto P, Hilaski S, Odegard W
PMID: 190704
Impact factor: 0.81
Abstract
Health care for rape victims traditionally has been crisis oriented, focused solely upon the victim, and provided either by a gynecologist or psychiatrist. A family practice health team, working in a county hospital, offered rape victims and their families crisis counseling in the emergency room, and follow-up care in a family practice clinic. Follow-up of victims markedly increased from 8% before initiation of the program to 86% afterward. Family members of more than half of the victims seen on follow-up received treatment. A wide range of health needs of both victims and their families, not identified in the emergency room, was identified on follow-up visits. In this way emergency care of the rape victim often became an entry point into the health care system. Rape must be viewed as a family's as well as victim's health problem, often demanding a broader service than can be offered by a gynecologist or psychiatrist alone.
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Adult; Aftercare; Child; Child, Preschool; Crisis Intervention; Family Practice; Family Therapy; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gonorrhea; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Rape; Syphilis
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