Emergency department visits related to sexual assault increased more than 1,533 percent from 2006 through 2019, according to a new study.
The study, published Oct. 20 in JAMA Network Open, examined the latest available data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, a nationally representative database that includes more than 35.8 million observations of U.S. emergency department visits from 989 hospitals in 40 states. Researchers said they also examined data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program.
Overall, sexual assault-related emergency department visits increased by more than 1,533 percent, from 3,607 visits in 2006 to 55,296 visits in 2019, according to the study. The study also found that over those 13 years, admission rates for these visits declined from 12.6 percent to 4.3 percent.
Female, younger and lower-income individuals were more likely to visit the emergency department related to sexual assault, while admissions were more likely for older and Medicaid-insured patients, according to the study.
The study's authors said multiple factors, including population growth and contemporary social justice movements such as #MeToo, may have contributed to the increase.
This research "highlighted the populations who access emergency care most frequently and who more likely need inpatient care," the study's authors concluded. "These data can inform policies and the programming needed to support this vulnerable population."
The authors cited several study limitations, such as that patients with several emergency department visits were potentially represented multiple times.
To read the full study, click here.