[Description of sexual assaults treated in the emergency department of a referral hospital]

Objective: To describe the factors related to adult sexual assaults attended in a referral hospital in the city of Barcelona (Spain).

Methods: We carried out an individual-based cross-sectional study of sexual assaults treated in the emergency department between 2005 and 2008.

Results: A total of 712 patients (95.5% female) were treated. The median age of assaulted women was 25 years. Complaints were made in 87.5% of cases and assaults were made by a single attacker in 84.5%. When the perpetrator was known, the profile of the victim (p ≤ 0.05) was as follows: the victim was assaulted at home (81.5%), the perpetrator acted alone (94.2%), the mechanism of aggression was penetration (89.3%) and the attack took place during the week (63.3%).

Conclusions: Analysis of sexual assaults allows for different risk groups to be established, which facilitates the development of specific protocols and guidelines for effective aid and full treatment.