Sexual assault reporting amongst users of online sexual health services

Sexual assault (SA) survivors often attend sexual health clinics (SHC) for care relating to their assault. Reported rates of SA amongst SHC attendees can be high. Online sexual health services are becoming increasingly popular. Sexual Health London (SHL) is a large online sexual transmitted infection (STI) screening service. Between 1.1.20– 8.2.20, 0.5% (242/45841) (54% female, 45.6% male) of adults disclosed a recent SA when ordering an online STI testing kit. 79% (192/242) users engaged in a call back discussion initiated by the SHL team: 45% (87/192) users confirmed a SA had occurred and 53% (101/242) users denied an assault (particularly men) stating they had reported this in error. 18% (16/87) users had already reported their SA to the police/sexual assault centre, and one user accepted an onward referral. This study found a low reporting rate of SA amongst SHL users, but despite a high response rate to call backs, >50% cited they reported in error, 25% (22/87) didn’t want to discuss their SA and few accepted onward referrals. Using e-triage to screen for SA followed by service-initiated telephonic support to everyone who discloses, may not be acceptable or offer utility to all. Further evaluation of ways to engage these individuals is required.