Chaperon fetish

I was thinking that you see a lot of people with fantasy of being doctors, nurses, or patients... but I haven't seen many ppl say they have fantasy of being medical chaperons. Like as someone who is there just to observe a stranger, not even a spouse or something.

I went onlinet o search for info about it and discovered: it's super common for male docs to use a female chaperon when the patient is also a woman. It's less common for female docs and male pts, but still happens. It's the most rare of all for same sex doc and pt.

One survey said: half of male docs use chaperon w/ intimate procedures on female pts. Female docs use chaperon for intimate procedure with male pts 13% of the time. 8% for female docs and female pts, and 2% for male docs and male pts.

75% of the time chaperon is a nurse. 18% of the time it is a receptionist.

Anyone with chaperon fantasies? Or is that maybe super rare compared to dr/nurse/pt fantasy?

I put it in with my patients and friends somtimes...its a nic lil extra

Heh, only one reply of one line... I guess that answers my question about how common it is, lol 😃

Oh, I think the desire to witness someone else's exam is probably pretty common. Personally I would love the opportunity to be in the exam room to watch someone else receive their exam -- regardless of who the patient is. But I just don't realistically see that ever happening with me acting as a chaperone -- since I don't work in a doctor's office. But if the opportunity presented itself to me, I'd jump at the chance to watch. It would be like old times in high school, watching the other boys as they receive their sports physicals.

The concept of being a professional chaperone is so unrealistic as to be laughable. There's no way a doctor is going to pay someone just to be a witness. As you pointed out, they're almost always medical professionals who perform many duties in the office. If they're not medical professionals, they're medical laypeople already working for the office. I have issues with your numbers. What's the source?

It just not fiscally sound to hire someone for what's essentially a few minutes of work per day.

Any male physician who doesn't use a female chaperone 100% of the time when performing intimate exams of female patients is asking big time for trouble. The idea of a professional chaperone is patently ridiculous. We use nurses or other medical professionals who help us with the exam procedures.

I'm confused about why everybody is talking about professional chaperons? Chaperons are almost always a nurse, or sometime also other office staff like a receptionist. I don't think there's even such thing as a professional chaperon who isn't also on the staff. Or at least I never heard of that!

There are lots of studies about how often chaperons are used and by which gender of dr/patient. It varies from country to coutry obviously, not everywhere is the same. Here's one: http://www.bmj.com/content/330/7485/235

Why? Could be because your numbers didn't equal 100%

Also, the 10 year old study you mentioned is so small and local (Norfolk, UK) as to be inconsequential on a general basis.

As liquidsky mentioned, the reality is that nearly 100% of male practitioners use a witness with female patients. The number of female practitioners is likely lower but also very high.

Frankly I'm astonished that so few docs in the study used chaperones. The only time I've heard of not using one was when my ex saw her OB GYN. It was apparently no big deal. I didn't accompany her either and wouldn't have considered doing so. People need their space and private time.

True, they didn't add to 100%, but I assumed most of the rest were likely family members, rather than jobs that were professional chaperons and nothing else.

I've seen other studies like this but don't have the links handy. Anyway I agree in the USA, M doc F pt probably uses chaperons with new patients almost all the time... but I'd heard that after there's a relationship and the dr and pt know each other well, sometimes the chaperon is dropped, which might explain some of why the numbers are lower than 99% as you'd guess.

Also, small sample size doesn't mean invalid study. As long as the sample is random enough, you don't need a big sample to have high confidence results.

True, but the extremely limited geography tells me that the study is really only valid locally.

You're right about family and established relationships. My ex's OB/GYN didn't use a chaperone, of course, I was there for the OB visits. He had been her doc for years and there was never any question of impropriety.

>I was thinking that you see a lot of people with fantasy of being doctors, nurses, or patients... but I haven't seen many ppl say they have fantasy of being medical chaperons.

What the F**k??? NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!

It's not going to happen that anyone has a fantasy of being a medical chaperon? Hmm, I dunno 😃. There are many people out there in the world, and for almost anything you can imagine, somebody somewhere has a fantasy involving it. Rule 34 and all!

Or did you mean "not going to happen" in the sense of, you would never allow a chaperon in with you during an exam? (Heh, me neither!!)

I agree with Jds4med and liquidsky.

I don't have a chaperon for exams with my GP and GYN. I never have. They are male and always have been.

Hmm.. that sounds like you disagree, to me. Liquidsky said, "Any male physician who doesn't use a female chaperone 100% of the time when performing intimate exams of female patients is asking big time for trouble." But then you mentioned that you don't have a chaperon for your exams with a male GP and GYN, which is the opposite of what liquidsky thought, no?

This could make for an interesting fantasy. If you write a fantasy about it, PLEASE post in the new story section of the thread.

Okay! I agree, it would be fun. I'll certainly post in the story section if I ever write anything like that, I promise.

Thanks for your note!

GNobern,

liquidsky also said people need their private time. There are many physicians and providers who do not demand a chaperon IF they have a trusting, safe and for some long term relationship with the patients. The practice my GYN and GP are in, it is not mandatory they have a chaperon. If the policy of their clinic changed as to they are required to have a chaperon for intimate exams, then that is the way it would be. It would then be my choice to choose to stay with that provider, physician or find another physician. I would choose to stay none the less as they are both incredible physicians and people. I prefer no chaperon.

As to my thoughts of "NOT GOING TO HAPPEN", clinics, offices etc are not just going to hire someone to work as a chaperon. As it has been clearly explained, if a chaperon is needed, it is done so with someone who already works in the office.

My apology for any confusion.

I am sure you are not the only one with this fantasy. I was referencing it the fantasy would not take place in reality, as hopefully I have explained above.

Andie

As to my thoughts of "NOT GOING TO HAPPEN", clinics, offices etc are not just going to hire someone to work as a chaperon. As it has been clearly explained, if a chaperon is needed, it is done so with someone who already works in the office.

Hehe - yes! I believe we have all been in violent agreement about this! 😃 In the very first post I said: "75% of the time chaperon is a nurse. 18% of the time it is a receptionist." In other words, chaperons come from the office staff most of the time. It isn't necessary to "clearly explain" to me the same thing I already said (and with actual data from published papers no less). I'm guessing the remainder they didn't account for are mostly friends or family of the patients, not professional chaperons hired to do only that one thing. I never even imagined such a thing, because it would clearly be ridiculous.

So, to try to move on from the violent agreement we have all been in 😃 - I meant the question about chaperon fantasies in the spirit of doctor or nurse fantasies. Like, people fantasize about being doctors, even though doctors originally come from medical schools. Almost always I see people with fantasies of being doctors, nurses, or patients. I've almost never seen someone talk about having a fantasy of being a chaperon, so I was wondering if it's as rare as it seems, compared to dr/nurse/pt fantasies. Just wanted to start some talk about that idea 😃.

Not to belabor a point GN but family members and friends are not used for chaperones. As a physician I want an advocate for myself. Also I need the help handing me tools and so on. I don't want a novice who is going to faint. I have had experience with family members fainting and injuring themselves. Then they become a patient themselves. I hate making work for myself as I have enough already. If you want to fantasize go ahead be my guest. Just not in my emergency department thank you.

As a physician I want an advocate for myself.

If one buys into the idea of there being a general mistrust and expectations of bad intentions between doctors and patients, then that's understandable enough. But what happens if a patient wants an advocate for themselves as well?

I see it then almost inevitably evolving into a sort of polite Mexican standoff, without the guns of course, but more like a civil court case or maybe a lawyer's deposition meeting ... 😃

Agracier I always try to be accommodating. If a significant other and the patient wants the SO to be in the room I let them. They as I said must be seated to avoid fainting or other such untoward sequelae. That said very few women want someone in the GYN rooms with them.

But what happens if a patient wants an advocate for themselves as well?

The simple solution: Everyone should just bring their own lawyer into the exam room. That way everyone is protected in case of any unethical behavior. Of course they'll have to remodel all of the exam rooms to make them large enough to accommodate four people for each exam. But surely that's worth it.

Haha Jimmy you dog you! But why stop there? Why not have a jury box too. That way we can get a quorum to vote on the merits of the procedure.

Haha Jimmy you dog you! But why stop there? Why not have a jury box too. That way we can get a quorum to vote on the merits of the procedure.

No, I'm trying to keep this realistic. 😃

The simple solution: Everyone should just bring their own lawyer into the exam room.

LOL - that's a hilarious mental image. (And maybe not SO farfetched in the litigious USofA)

Not to belabor a point GN but family members and friends are not used for chaperones.

Hmm, I have to disagree there... maybe not at every practice, but in general, various studies show that family members are sometimes used. For instance: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1360073/

"Approximately two-thirds of respondents reported using nurses as chaperones, 15% cited the use of other office staff, and 10% relied on the presence of a family member."

It's a different study, but broadly similar results to the first one I quoted (66% vs 75% nurses, and 15% vs 18% other office staff). The first study didn't call out the remainder, but some other studies such as the one above (among others I've seen) call out them out as family members.

Granted a family member has allegiance to the patient instead of the doctor, but it doesn't make them not a chaperon. Anyway I'm not sure who else the remainder could be, if not family/SO. If not a nurse, and not another member of the staff, and we've already agreed "professional chaperon" is not a thing, then who could be left? Maybe JimmyJohnson's use of lawyers? 😄

The problem with both your studies is that they are both out of the U.S. which is what I'm familiar with and also both are journals with which I'm not familiar. Not to be picky but the fact remains that a chaperone serves to protect us and also to reassure the patient. This is especially true for any surgical procedures we may do. In my experience very few women want a family member with them.

These type of studies appear to only cover a defined or small community...500 mail out questionaires of which only 276 completed & returned...hardly what one could call all encompassing...And what is the population of Canada ??....They are little more than a gallop poll dressed up to look official (paid for by the public purse no less) & undoubtedly not representative of the majority....Still, both studies being Gov orchestrated I guess they have to give the public servants something to do while placating the masses...Waste of resources & effort.

500 mail out questionaires of which only 276 completed & returned...hardly what one could call all encompassing...And what is the population of Canada

Actually, it's super counterintuitive, but you might be surprised how accurate statistical info can be from small samples, if they are randomly selected. Of course there are all kinds of things to be careful of, like if other regions of Canada had very different behaviors, or if the samples are not random. But pretend for sake of argument that those things didn't apply, then you can get okay results from a sample as small as a few hundred, even for a country of 35 million people. It's weird, but true!

Anyway, mainly the point was that sometimes family members are used as chaperons. Not something I'd ever want, though!! My reaction would be "hell no!"

Actually, it's super counterintuitive, but you might be surprised how accurate statistical info can be from small samples, if they are randomly selected.

Back in the distant past when we were being taught how to set up and conduct studies of this sort, the guideline was that 600 randomly chosen subjects was more or less the norm for a meaningful analysis when sending out questionnaires or holding sessions. Results were then considered to have a variation rate of 3% to 4% which was usually enough to drawn meaningful conclusions. The trick was finding an information base that included as many people as possible without creating an unexpected bias in one way or another.

I had an exam once and when the doctor called in the chaperone, she was a girl that I had gone to high school with and had several classes with. She stood there at my feet while I was in the stirrups staring at my spread legs and made small talk with me. Was awkward but very arousing.

I've never heard of chaperones being used in France. (We try to keep health cost downs, so no money to spare on staff just there for looking)

I think it would be great to be examined in the presence of a chaperone. I have never had the experience with doctors of either gender, but once I was having an exam by a male doctor and a nursing assistant stuck her head in the door to ask a question. Their conversation lasted about a minute and he never stopped examining me during the time. He told me to stand and drop my shorts as she was leaving so she knew I had to go through the genital and hernia exam even though she did not see it. It would have been great if she had watched him do that part of the exam.

I would think it would be absolutely fantastic to witness someone's exam as a chaperone. I would jump at the chance.

This all is very interesting to know about.