For children who have been sexually abused, emergency department (ED) professionals provide immediate medical care, including testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, prophylaxis for potential HIV exposure, and emergency contraception.¹ In some cases, ED clinicians conduct forensic examinations to assist with child protection and criminal investigations.² Physicians and nurses in EDs are among the first to recognize the signs of sexual abuse and identify patients who are currently being abused, such as children being exploited in sex trafficking.³ Despite the medical, criminal justice, and protective roles that ED professionals serve in caring for vulnerable children, few data are available regarding the frequency with which children are admitted to the ED for sexual abuse. Therefore, this analysis observed patterns among children admitted to the ED for sexual abuse across the United States and examined important subgroup characteristics based on demographic and primary payer data.

对于遭受性虐待的儿童，急诊室（ED）专业人员会提供即时医疗服务，包括对性传播感染进行测试和治疗，预防可能的HIV暴露以及紧急避孕措施。¹在某些情况下，急诊科临床医生进行法医检查以协助保护儿童和进行刑事调查。²急诊科的内科医生和护士是最早认识到性虐待迹象并确定当前正在被虐待的患者（例如被性贩运中被剥削的儿童）的人之一。³尽管ED专业人员在照料弱势儿童方面发挥了医疗，刑事司法和保护作用，但很少有关于儿童因性虐待而被送往ED的频率的数据。因此，该分析观察了全美因性虐待而接受急诊教育的儿童的模式，并根据人口统计学和主要付款人数据检查了重要的亚组特征。