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The intimate examination--chaperone or
not?
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| Pub Date: | 01/01/2013 |
| Publication: | Name: South African Medical Journal Publisher: South African Medical Association Audience: Academic Format: Magazine/Journal Subject: Health Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 South African Medical Association ISSN: 0256-9574 |
| Issue: | Date: Jan, 2013 Source Volume: 103 Source Issue: 1 |
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| Accession Number: | 312828752 |
| Full Text: |
A survey of gynaecologists and GPs by Guidozzi et al. (8) reveals
that a majority of practitioners wisely opt for the presence of a
chaperone when undertaking intimate examinations. Given that the Medical
Protection Society reports that practitioners are rarely accused of
sexual impropriety if a chaperone has been present, it is surely foolish
of a third of doctors to deem this unnecessary. And the gender of the
patient should not offer any false sense of security, as complaints are
received by the MPS against practitioners of the same gender as the
patient. While the Health Professions Council of South Africa and
international ethics codes and guidelines clearly prohibit sexual
relationships between doctors and patients, this has not prevented
complaints against practitioners in South Africa. The authors suggest
that the time has come for a stipulation regarding use of chaperones to
be included in the HPCSA Guidelines for Reproductive Health, and widely
publicised, to bring this country's ethical standards in line with
international clinical standards such as those of the UK and USA. (8.) Guidozzi Y, Gardner J, Dhai A. Professionalism in the intimate examination: How healthcare practitioners feel about having chaperones present during an intimate consultation and examination. S Afr Med J 2013;103(1):25-27. [http://dx.doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.6224] |
| Gale Copyright: | Copyright 2013 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. |