Reports of sexual assaults against adults have continued to increase throughout the past decade. Important to the successful prosecution of these cases is physical evidence that often may be found on the body and clothing of the victim. By necessity, the job of collecting physical evidence has fallen to physicians and nurses in hospital emergency rooms. Sexual assault procedures for medical personnel include first ensuring that the victim is in a medically stable condition. The coordination of medical and forensic procedures is crucial to the successful examination of sexual assault patients. Procedures for the preservation of samples of spermatozoa and semen and clothing evidence are discussed, along with hair, fingernail scraping, and blood collection procedures. Although evidence collection is the primary focus of this document, basic medical, psychological, and support issues for both adults and children have also been included throughout the protocol.