Forensic Evidence Collection After Sexual Assault: One Emergency Department's Experience

After sexual assault, medical and legal processes may be an ordeal all their own. Medical and legal practices are variable and often poorly coordinated, leaving survivors unclear about how to proceed. These authors report decisions about forensic evidence collection from their center in Ottawa — the only one to perform forensic evidence collection after sexual assault in a catchment area of nearly 1 million people.

In 2015, their comprehensive, emergency department (ED)–based program evaluated 262 cases of sexual assault in patients >16 years old. Among 202 patients who met the program's criteria for forensic evidence collection, 108 (54%) experienced drug-facilitated sexual assault. Overall, 129 patients (64%) completed forensic evidence co…