JHU PH 2002-21 (medical treatment after rape)

[Dennis O'Shea]

JOHNS HOPKINS BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Office of Communications and Public Affairs
615 N. Wolfe Street, W1600
Baltimore, MD 21205-2179
Media Contact: Tim Parsons
410-955-6878
paffairs@jhsph.edu
May 31, 2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HALF OF RAPE SURVIVORS DO NOT RECEIVE RECOMMENDED MEDICAL TREATMENT

Half of all women who are sexually assaulted in the United States each year 
do not receive the recommended medical treatment to prevent pregnancy or 
sexually transmitted diseases, according to a study by researchers at the 
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The results of the study 
show that 20 percent of rape survivors receive emergency contraception to 
prevent pregnancy and 58 percent are screened for sexually transmitted 
diseases or given prophylactic medication. The study appears in the June 
2002 edition of the Annals of Emergency Medicine. The researchers suggest 
there is an increased need for hospital emergency rooms to develop better 
programs for treating victims of sexual assault.

"Sexual assault survivors suffer tremendous psychological and emotional 
trauma as well as physical trauma. Our study examines the medical treatment 
of survivors, and the results indicate that many survivors are not 
receiving the recommended care," says co-author David Bishai, MD, PhD, 
assistant professor of population and family health sciences at the Johns 
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

"Previous studies have looked at the medical care of rape survivors, but 
our study is one of the first to examine the scope of the issue on a 
national level," adds co-author Annette Amey, MS, a researcher with the 
Abell Foundation and a student at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of 
Public Health.

For the study, Bishai and Amey analyzed the medical care of sexual assault 
survivors using emergency room data from the National Hospital Ambulatory 
Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) for the years 1992 to 1998. Using this data, 
they created a nationally representative sample of rape survivors and 
calculated that 91,974 rapes occur in the U.S. each year. The findings were 
consistent with the 97,000 rapes annually reported by the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation (FBI) using information reported to law enforcement authorities.

Overall, the study found that 42 percent of sexual assault survivors were 
not tested for sexually transmitted diseases and did not receive 
prophylactic medications. In addition, rape survivors over the age 18 were 
more likely to be screened for sexually transmitted diseases, than 
survivors under 18. The results showed survivors over 18 were tested 49 
percent of the time, compared to 23 percent of those under 18.

According to the study, 60 percent of the rape survivors received some form 
of medication during treatment. However, only 34 percent were given or 
prescribed a medication recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. The 
study found race to be a factor in treatment as well. Forty-eight percent 
of white women received neither screening nor treatment, compared to 25 
percent of African American women.

"Based on our evidence, there is a significant number of adult women who do 
not receive proper screening and treatment to prevent pregnancy and 
sexually transmitted diseases following a sexual assault," explains Dr. 
Bishai. "This points to a need for hospital emergency rooms to develop 
better programs for medical management of sexual assault patients or to 
refer patients to other hospitals that have developed this expertise."

                                                                       ###

  "Measuring the Quality of Medical Care for Woman Who Experience Sexual 
Assault Using Data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care 
Survey," was written by Annette L. Amey, MS, and David Bishai, MD, PhD, and 
is published in the June 2002 edition of the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

Funding was provided by the Hopkins Population Center and the Johns Hopkins 
Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Press releases from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health are 
available online at <http://www.jhsph.edu>.