Introduction: Victims of sexual assault require comprehensive, gender-sensitive health services in order to cope with the physical and mental health consequences of their experience. In most countries, however, there is a gap between the healthcare needs of victims of sexual violence and the existing level of health services provided in such cases. Experiences of the service providers help to deepen the understanding of this phenomenon so, this study aimed to understand the perceptions and experiences of clinical health care providers to victims of sexual assault. Method: This was a qualitative study with content analysis approach. 23 healthcare providers working in private and public hospitals in Ahvaz and Tehran, Iran were selected with purposive sampling method. Data were collected using interviews, observations and recording field notes. All the interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using descriptive content analysis and the Granheim and Lundman method. Results: Five categories including 255 primary codes were emerged. The derived codes were as follows: 1) focus on the history and physical examination 2) legal considerations 3) diagnostic and para-clinical services4) ostensible prevention and treatment of complications and 5) consult and referral request. The main code included in all derived codes was "routine and task-orientation". Conclusion: The findings showed that clinical healthcare providers provided health care to the victims of sexual violence regardless of their care needs, based on their routine administrative procedures. Therefore, the staff should concerns about the respond to the needs of females who have been sexually assaulted.
Keywords: Clinical service, Sexual assault, Qualitative study, Content analysi
