A sexual assault referral service based on a hospital in a small Australian town.

A sexual assault referral service was established in a hospital in a small Tasmanian town in late 1976. The objectives and resources of the service, and different forms of patient management, are discussed. A study has been made of 100 consecutive patients who presented to the service, and their experiences of the short- and long-term consequences of sexual assault are detailed. The special needs of the victims, and of the doctors who are involved in such a service, are defined and a recommendation is made for the establishment of similar services in small towns and country areas in other parts of Australia.