Bare chest auscultation

I grew up being stethed bare chested but in recent years it's been over my shirt, even the cardio doesn't ask me to take off my shirt. In play exams, it's always bare chest and I can tell the difference. I don't know how a doctor can get a good listen to a woman's heart without exposing her breasts. One woman I stethed was 22 at the time. She said I was the first one to see her breasts and the first to steth her bare chested since she was elementary school age. Does your doctor steth you bare chested?

I agree, I don't get how the doctor can listen properly over clothes it should be on bare skin.

If the doctor says they want to listen to my breathing, chest or tummy it's just an automatic reaction from me to take my shirt off for them so they can listen to me bare chested.

My current doctor also listens over my shirt but when I was examining patients when I was in practice I always listened on bare skin. We were taught in my physical diagnosis class in medical school that listening through clothing severely degraded what you could hear. The art is being lost!

Very much a lost art. If there is any patient history or complaints just order an echo. No one cares to be proficient at auscultation anymore.

Seriously, I really don't know the procedure to be stethed over the shirt and not bare chested, independent if it is/was a male or female doc. It is also definitely not really common in our country/region. Even in my childhood I was always asked to pull off my shirt as soon as the auscultation started.

But, I saw this a few times on pics and on TV, maybe from different regions/cultures and/or for embarrassing reasons.

I tried it once for my curiosity but seriously, for me it will remain a mystery how a respectable working professional doc will come to his findings.

Everytime I've been at the doctors they have me take my shirt off to listen to my chest lungs and belly so I'm not sure it is proper practice to listen over clothing

Fortunately, almost all of my doctors have auscultated my chest and back while I am barechested! I cannot recall the last time I was auscultated while wearing a shirt.

Auscultation is my favorite part of any exam. Being barechested naturally heightens the excitement. My favorite part of any exam is when I am flat on my back for the chest and stomach exam ... auscultation then palpation! Hopefully, this leads to the examination of my femoral pulses!

My Family Doctor checked through my shirt. He just did that on my first visit. All he does now is chat a bit send me out for a blood test and renew my prescription. Anything else goes to Provincial clinics. He submitted my name to the Ministry of Health for tests the Family Doctor used to perform. The Ministry sends out an Invitation for a test. I toss it in the rubbish.

Too many of them have been sued so they are being careful. I can't blame them for that.

For the stethoscope exam with my GP i have just to lift up my shirt. At my pediatrician i was topless during the stethoscope and at my my playdoc i still have to be bare chested for the stethoscope.

It all depends on cultural circles. From your descriptions, it appears that in the USA they are examined through the shirt. In Poland, people are examined without a shirt on. Women must also take off their bra.

As a child I was always bare chested for auscultation. Then in my teens it was usually lifting my top up or the doctor listened against my skin but under clothes. It’s much the same now, I always have the stethoscope on my chest/back but normally under my top, think the only recent time I had my top completely off was when the doctor wanted to percuss my chest before auscultation.

I agree, I don't get how the doctor can listen properly over clothes it should be on bare skin.

I have to admit that I can barely tell the difference between using a stethoscope on bare skin and using on over a t-shirt, and I've read some posts online where real doctors say the same thing, but like you taking the shirt off is an automatic reaction for me because it's what I grew up with (and admittedly what I prefer!) I'm all for making the doctor's job easier by not having clothing on that either I or they have to hold up. Holding a t-shirt up to my shoulders without taking it off feels very kid-like to me which is also kinda cool, as if I'm feeling bashful in some way.

I'm always bare chested when I'm stethed. It's obviously much easier for guys to be asked to remove their tops.

I can't recall the last time that I wasn't. I was stethed last week with no top on and no doubt will be again today

Usually stethed under shirt or over it. I had an echocardiogram though a few weeks ago and I was asked to "strip waist up" which was nice

Lung checks are pretty common and sufficient over light clothing, a little added pressure compensates for any attenuation loss. Our doc slips the stethoscope under my shirt if she’s checking my heart, which is rare these days.

I always had to be topless when the GP is listening to my heart and lungs. I don't like it, when there is some clothing during auscultation.

I was taught to auscultate on skin rather than over clothing. Auscultating via clothing does muffle and add additional breath sounds cause by the movement of the diaphragm on the material, which can mast other more quieter breath sounds, murmurs etc

Women with large breast can be a tad awkward , I prefer to use the back of my hand that is holding the diaphragm of the stethoscope to move the breast out of the way , as you are not holding the breast which can cause the woman to feel uncomfortable . I was taught this method by a old respiratory consultant early in my career .

My pediatrician always had me remove my shirt at every doctor's appointment, no matter what it was for, so obviously I was auscultated bare chested. I had two pre-employment exams a couple of years apart when I was younger, one I was bare chested the entire exam, the other I lowered my gown. Those were the last times I have been bare chested for an auscultation, everything within the last 25 years has been over my clothes.

About a month ago, my doctor had me put on a gown that opened in the front. He left and came back after I changed. He opened the front of my gown exposing one of my breasts and auscultated about an inch under my nipple. Then he covered it back up, and opened the other side of my gown, exposing my other breast and listed to my front and back. No gloves (it’s ok, it’s just skin). I complied with what needed to be done even though I was shy and embarrassed.

My doctor usually listens to my heart on my bare chest if I have a v neck T-shirt on. He also has me lift my shirt to auscultate my belly.

My pediatrician used to auscultate me with my chest bare. in reality I did the whole visit only in my underwear, even when I was little. Then as an adult it happened to me only once during the military visit. all the other times I kept my bra on

In Poland, people are examined without a shirt on. Women must also take off their bra.

I agree with you, I can't remember a physical exam where I didn't have to take off my shirt. When I entered the doctor's office for each examination, I sat down on the couch for the doctor to conduct a brief medical history. After that, I had to take off my shirt for the doctor to auscultate my heart and lungs.

My pediatrician used to auscultate me with my chest bare and actually also my family doctor