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When requested by the police, a doctor will perform examinations as part of the pre-trial investigation to identify possible physical injuries. When child sexual abuse is suspected these examinations will be performed within specialist medical care. The police and health care personnel will evaluate how urgently the medical examination should be performed. Whenever possible, examinations will be scheduled for office hours. Examinations performed outside office hours are required when the injuries demand rapid medical assessment or care, for example in the event of rape or when it can be assumed that the offender's DNA can be found on the victim. In such cases, the child/adolescent should arrive for the examination without having washed in the meantime, and the clothes worn during the incident should be brought along in a paper bag. With small children, such situations rarely occur.
The examination begins with an ordinary medical examination where the doctor listens to the heart and lungs, feels the stomach and looks into the mouth. The child/adolescent will be examined "from head to toe" so that nothing important is left unnoticed. With small children, examination of the genitals differs from the gynaecological examination of adolescents or adults in that usually an external examination is sufficient. An internal gynaecological examination is rarely required for small children. During the examination, the child will be made to feel as safe and calm as possible and nothing will be done against the child's will.
It is important that possible injuries are examined and carefully recorded. Photographs, and occasionally blood samples, urine sample and other necessary samples, can be taken during the examination. The doctor will prepare a statement on the examination for the police.