[Forensic examination of sexual assault victims: Medical aspects and associations with the legal outcomes].

OBJECTIVES: To describe the medical and legal characteristics of sexual assault victims and to highlight which aspects of the medical examination may be associated with a conviction of the alleged offender.

METHODS: This study included all women who consulted to the center for the victims of sexual assault in Nancy between 2008 and 2012 and who filed a complaint. Associations were evaluated with a logistic regression trying to explain the presence of a conviction at the end of the legal proceeding.

RESULTS: Three hundred seventy-six victims were included. Following aspects were associated with a reduced probability of conviction: the use of psychoactive substances, the prescription of an antiretroviral therapy and the presence of more than one assailant. The prescription of pain killers were contrarily related to the conviction of an assailant.

CONCLUSION: A detailed description, an interpretation of the physical injuries and the prescription of toxicological tests if needed are decisive in the outcome of the legal proceedings of victims of sexual assault. The education of populations at risk and the accompanying of the victims can reduce the delay of care and optimize the collection of evidence.