Counselling after acute sexual assault — the communication station

Station brief

Format. Communication station, 11 minutes total — 3 minutes reading, 8 minutes active counselling. You are the Emergency Medicine consultant. The actor plays the patient, Aisha, a 23-year-old woman.

^[3]Candidate instructions. Aisha was sexually assaulted by an acquaintance 6 hours ago. She has been assessed and is medically stable, with superficial facial bruising. Her pregnancy test is negative, her baseline observations are normal, and her airway, neurology and carotids are clear. She has capacity and she has presented alone. She is uncertain about police involvement. Her last menstrual period was two weeks ago and she uses no contraception. Counsel her on her options: the forensic examination and its window, the post-exposure prophylaxis against pregnancy and infection including HIV, the safety assessment, and the reporting decision. The examiner assesses your communication, the accuracy of your information, and the respect you show for her autonomy at every step.