ISSN: 1304-5040
Dil: Türkçe, ingilizce
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLES |
Opinions Of Physicians Towards Sexual Assault Centers: A Questionnaire Study
Dr. Akça TOPRAK ERGÖNEN,a Dr. Sevgül DAYAR KIRILMAZ,a
Dr. Yonca SÖNMEZ,b Dr. M. Hakan ÖZDEMİRa
aAdli Tıp AD, Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, İZMİR
bHalk Sağlığı AD, Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, ISPARTA
Objective: It was determined that people who exposed to sexual assaults beware of applying health services and legal offices except serious injuries. This situation has various social, cultural and individual reasons. There have been centers in various countries which could evaluate sexual assault victims and qualified for collection, preservation of medical evidence, convenient diagnosis, treatment, protection and rehabilitation services by the cooperation and approach of disciplines. The aim of the study was to research the opinion of physician towards sexual assault centers and their functions and the necessity of these kinds of centers.
Material and Methods: This research is a cross-sectional survey and the approval of the Ethical Council of Dokuz Eylul University School of Medicine Clinics and Laboratory Research was obtained. A questionnaire was carried out with the physicians studying on surgery and clinical areas in Dokuz Eylul University School of Medicine. Questions were administered in the following sequence: demographic data, followed by questions about the participants’ level of knowledge and awareness about the necessity of centers for sexual assault victims and their approach to these victims.
Results: Of the participants who were given the questionnaires, 191 returned the forms. Of the participants 95 (49.7%) were female, while 96 (50.3%) were male and the average age was 33.89 (±6.85). Among the physicians, 42 (22%) of them stated that they had diagnosed a sexual assault victim once while only 4 (9.5%) of them said they could help them exactly. 173 (90.6%) of the participants stated that a special center has been a necessity for sexual assault victims in our country while 18 (9.4%) said it was not a necessity.
Conclusion: Sexual assault victim centers are needed for proper collection of medical evidence and for convenient diagnosis, treatment, protection and rehabilitation services. These centers could be helpful for population health and also provide physicians to accomplish legal responsibilities and cover patients’ legal and medical requirements.Keywords: Sex offences, forensic medicineTurkiye Klinikleri J Foren Med 2007, 4:106-112
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