Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin;
Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Department of Emergency Medicine.
Pediatrics. 2015 Apr;135(4):e895-902. doi: 10.1542/peds.2014-2814. Epub 2015 Mar 16.
Sex trafficking (ST) victims have unique medical and mental health needs and are often difficult to identify. Our objectives were to evaluate knowledge gaps and training needs of medical providers, to demonstrate the importance of provider training to meet the pediatric ST victim's specific needs, and to highlight barriers to the identification of and response to victims.
A survey was sent to providers in specialties that would be most likely to encounter victims of ST. Participants included physicians, nurses, physician assistants, social workers, and patient and family advocates at multiple hospitals and medical clinics in urban, suburban, and rural locations.
Of ∼ 500 survey recipients, 168 participants responded. In 2 clinical vignettes, 48% correctly classified a minor as an ST victim, and 42% correctly distinguished an ST victim from a child abuse victim. In all, 63% of respondents said that they had never received training on how to identify ST victims. Those with training were more likely to report ST as a major problem locally (P ≤ .001), to have encountered a victim in their practice (P ≤ .001), and to have greater confidence in their ability to identify victims (P ≤ .001). The greatest barriers to identification of victims reported were a lack of training (34%) and awareness (22%) of ST.
Health care providers demonstrate gaps in knowledge and awareness of ST, specifically of pediatric victims, that correlate with their limited experience and training. Training is crucial to improve identification of these victims and provide appropriate care for their specific needs.
性贩卖（ST）受害者具有独特的医疗和心理健康需求，且往往难以识别。我们的目标是评估医疗服务提供者的知识差距和培训需求，展示向提供者提供培训以满足儿科 ST 受害者具体需求的重要性，并强调识别和应对受害者的障碍。
向最有可能遇到 ST 受害者的专业医疗服务提供者发送了一份调查。参与者包括来自多个城市、郊区和农村地区的医院和医疗诊所的医生、护士、医师助理、社会工作者以及患者和家庭倡导者。
在约 500 名调查收件人中，有 168 名参与者做出了回应。在 2 个临床病例中，48%的人正确将未成年人归类为 ST 受害者，42%的人正确区分 ST 受害者和儿童虐待受害者。总的来说，63%的受访者表示他们从未接受过如何识别 ST 受害者的培训。接受过培训的人更有可能报告称，性贩卖在当地是一个主要问题（P ≤.001），在他们的实践中遇到过受害者（P ≤.001），并且对自己识别受害者的能力更有信心（P ≤.001）。报告的识别受害者的最大障碍是缺乏性贩卖方面的培训（34%）和意识（22%）。
医疗保健提供者在性贩卖方面表现出知识和意识方面的差距，尤其是在儿科受害者方面，这与他们有限的经验和培训有关。培训对于提高这些受害者的识别能力并为其特定需求提供适当的护理至关重要。
