Chaperones

In the US in the last 15+/- years I've always had a female chaperone provided, usually a nurse or somebody else in scrubs. She "assists" and always has a good view of my genitals which really makes me angry and embarrased. I'd be much more comfortable with just one person to gaze at my vagina stretched wide open with a speculum... but we are such a litigious society that they have to protect themselves from me! Also I go to a practice with a lot of doctors so I never know who I'll have examining me. It's almost always a woman and I would feel so much more comfortable with a man, but I'm way too self conscious to ask for that on the phone when I make the appointment, there would then be some kind of notation in the appt book for all office employees to see.

I feel like chaperones in the doctors office is a very American practice, I could be wrong, but the idea of legal liability in a doctors office seems like an American construct

Also I feel the patient needs to be made aware of the chaperone before hand... I remember having an exam of my genitals when i was rather young and looking up to see that there was a older nurse suddenly in the room who was not there for the first part of the physical exam, at the time( being a little boy) I was frightend and confused. doctors really need to take the time to explain this practice especially to their younger patients

I have never had a chaperone in the exam room untill I joined the military. I kind of felt wired having a person in the room just watching. It also didnt help that she was in her early 20s and very pretty.

This may have been asked before but has anybody ever had a medical examination and because of a shortage of medical staff have had a non-medical member of staff act as a chaperone, either when you were a child at school, maybe a teacher, or as a adult, maybe a doctor's secretary or someone else?

Did it embarrass you or heighten the pleasure?

Did you 'react' in a visible way.

If it was a teacher did it change your relationship, ie, did you find it hard to look him or her in the eye afterwards or did you like the idea that he or she had seen you naked?

Skin, Very good question. I think I will volunteer as a chaperon for all female patients .I am sure we can find the answer to your question.

I have had many female doctors examine me over the years (in the military), and have only had one ask me about a chaperone, or bring one in.

I particularly don't like chaperones. If anything, I might probably be more nervous with any in the room.

However, my experience with chaperones isn't vast: neither my pediatrician nor the several female general practitioners who have examined me have required the presence of a chaperone. They have conducted genital exams on me as well, and didn't seem to have a problem with it.

The only one time I had a chaperone present was when I visited my female urologist some time ago. It was a male chaperone, which I didn't find comforting at all. I don't know if my feelings would have been different if it were a female.

Prefer not to have them. Don't need another person, of either gender, staring at my genitalia.

If the chaperone is an employee of the doctor, what are the chances that the chaperone would back up a patient who claims inappropriate behavior by the doctor?

I am not talking about blatant sexual assault but rather subtle things like the doctor taking extra time performing a breast exam that is done with a cupped hand instead of the pad of the fingers, or a vaginal, rectal, or bi manual exam where the doctor intentionally rubs the clit of the patient with his thumb or rubs the bulge in his pants against the edge of the exam table while examining the patient. Or for that matter, positions the patient's arm such that he can rub his bulge against the patients hand without it being obvious.

I swear that I have had a nurse who took my blood pressure take my arm under her arm and then press my arm / hand against her breast while taking my pressure reading. She even turned slightly forcing my hand against her breast. It may have been unintentional but I doubt it. Not that I'm complaining about it or anything.

I've never had a chaperone at an exam and tbh, I'd be more embarrassed having an audience there.

Funny you should mention that. Last week with the hornet stings all over my virgin body the female Dr that I knew very well said to strip to my shorts I replied "no shorts" but off came the pants before she could call anyone else into the exam room.

(I was kinda out of it due to the venom taking effect before the injection.)

She just said "oh well lets make sure the stingers are out." as she shut the door I did not realize was open 😳

In the rush to get to the doctors office I only had on pants, T-shirt and flip flops. Elapsed time was most important to limit the affects of anaphylatic shock, & modesty is not one of my problems anyway.

PawPaw was the talk of the office that day!

Cheers

I have never had a chaperon. I think that would be a little weird to have someone else in the exam room with me.

Do they use chaperones for male patients, regardless of the gender of the doc?

"Do they use chaperones for male patients, regardless of the gender of the doc?"

It just depends on the clinic. There is no law about it so it is up to policy at each place. Some do some don't.

My former girlfriend was a medical receptionist in a very small clinic that didn't have a lot of staff. She was often asked to chaperone for both male and female patients. Both doctors at the clinic were women and wanted her there for their protection. So yes, it happens sometimes. She said that the older guys didn't seem bothered by it, but the younger ones would sometimes turn bright red.

She was given the task to sit with a clipboard and write down any notes the doctor wanted to make, so that the patient would be more comfortable seeing that she had a function and reason to be there.

In my own experience, I've had doctors that use a chaperone and others that don't. I've also had some doctors that normally don't use one, but then on rare occasions, they do. I've found that there really isn't a standard, and there certainly isn't any law or requirement to use one. It just depends on the doctor, the procedure or exam that you're having done, and your history or experience with that particular doctor.

For instance, for my primary care, I currently see a female nurse practitioner that I've known for a long time. We're very comfortable with each other, and she never uses a chaperone - even for a full head-to-toe physical exam. On the other hand, I also regularly see my female dermatologist for a complete head-to-toe skin exam. She always has a female nurse there during the entire exam to act as a chaperone. In both cases, I'm completely nude with a female doctor, but one uses a chaperone and the other doesn't.

As far as my preference is concerned, I really don't care either way. I'm fine with or without one. In fact, depending on my reason for the visit, I somewhat enjoy the presence of another female in the room. 😁

I went to a clinic to have a DOT physical done. Different people did the various tests but a new NP did the brief physical part of the exam. When she got to the hernia part, she excused herself leaving the room stating she would be right back. She returned about ten minutes later with male assistant. She said she is required to have a chaperone in the room and it took a few minutes to find one. She was interning at this clinic. She had me lower my pants and cough. I have had quite a few hernia checks over the years, but hers was the lightest. She barely touched me when she told me to cough. All the others press into the canal and tell me to cough. The guy that she brought in just stared around the room.

All of my regular doctors have never had a chaperone in the room when doing exams. They have had assistants if the procedure required assistance. If a doctor were to bring in a chaperone I may consider it a lack of trust. Either she does not trust me and feels that a second person is needed. Or, she must feel that I do not trust her. Either way I would ask why they feel a chaperone is necessary.

I am OK without a chaperone. A "chaperon" on the other hand I am just not sure what a "chaperon" does. I trust my doctor with my life. On occasion I will be asked if a medical student can observe and/or participate in an exam procedure. It does not bother me at all.

. . . . I am just not sure what a "chaperon" does. . . .

This is what they do:

Http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2148245/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaperone_(clinical)

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/02/do-patients-need-a-chaperone/?_r=0

http://www.gmc-uk.org/guidance/ethical_guidance/21168.asp

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=33244

http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/chaperone

http://www.sexualmisconductbydoctors.com/chaperones.aspx

the list goes on and on

I had a female dermatologist that examined me for what ended up as Seborrheic dermatitis. I had a lesion on my chest and on my my groin above my penis.

She first examined my chest and then asked me to show her the groin area. She was alone in the room and I had no problem exposing my penis to her. Why do I need a chaperone in the room? This was nothing sexual at all.

The spelling was incorrect. It was a joke.

My female dermatologist always has a female chaperone when she does a full body check. I think it is for her legal protection; she has a witness to her procedures. I don't blame her in todays litigious world. The chaperone ALWAYS HAS A laptop to make it look like she is taking notes, but I've watched her and she does almost nothing on her PC.

A female nurse was present at my last 2 dermatology exams. Both times, they were recording the doctor's findings so they weren't there simply to be an extra body in the room.

Ever since I was 12 or 13 when my mom stopped accompanying me, I've never had anyone else in the exam room for my physicals.

. If a doctor were to bring in a chaperone I may consider it a lack of trust. Either she does not trust me and feels that a second person is needed. Or, she must feel that I do not trust her.

Exactly! A society that does not understand this basic, simple axiom of personal interactions, is a society that is askew. Institutionalized lack of trust only reinforces the feeling that no one should be trusted on a personal level ... an insidious feedback loop.

It's not just lack of trust if the clinic / hospital policy is there must be a chaperone present then no dr, nurse physio is going to risk potential disciplinary issues by not having one just because they trust the patient.

Not only did I have to have chaperone despite being same sex had to document the chaperones name on to clinical notes. I felt fine with my patients but if clinic managers say it's the rule then it is.

It's not just lack of trust if the clinic / hospital policy is there must be a chaperone present then no dr, nurse physio is going to risk potential disciplinary issues by not having one just because they trust the patient.

Not only did I have to have chaperone despite being same sex had to document the chaperones name on to clinical notes. I felt fine with my patients but if clinic managers say it's the rule then it is.

Don't you understand the social dynamic that is already in place when institutions insist upon such measures and make them mandatory? By that time, it is very difficult to roll back the lack of trust. Talking about 'policy' and 'mandatory issues' is just a smokescreen that social players use to avoid having to understand the implications. Or care about.

These things are like the proverbial ripples in a pond. It will begin to affect many other things, processes and interactions besides the initial one. And then one day, people wake up wondering what ever happened to the 'good ol' days' before this became commonplace.

I have to admit I'm on the fence with regards to chaperones. The last time I was offered one it was from my former GP, whom I'd known since I was probably six or seven years old. I would also have known the chaperone, not just as a health care provider but as the colleague of a close relative. In that case, I had no wish for someone else to be present to observe my examination.

Have there been times, however, where I felt I didn't trust a doctor to the point that I would have accepted a chaperone if offered, even with a family member already in the room?

Absolutely.

The only times I never had a chaperone was when my mother was with me pre teen. After that there was always another woman in scrubs assisting the doctor, even when my sister was with me and the same when I am with her. They don't bother me.

Throughout my youth and early adolescence a receptionist was always present to hold me across her lap for injections. For practical purposes she saw me naked because she could see "everything I've got" when I pulled trousers and pants down before bending over for her to watch me get the shots in my vulnerable bare bottom.

I'd LOVE for my gynecologist to give me a nice long thorough head to toe exam alone without a nurse in the room 😃 😃

I have seen a female family doctor for years and there is never anyone else in the room except for the doctor and me. The only exception was one annual visit where an intern was being trained and I was asked beforehand if it was ok for her to be present. I only am aware of a chaperone rule for children 15 and other - they must have a guardian present.