With ever more allegations of sexual misconduct by Canadian
doctors surfacing, some in the profession are wondering
if it's time to consider increasing the use of chaperones
for certain types of examinations.
In the past month one Whitby, ON,
family physician has had his licence suspended for sexual
misconduct in the examination room, while a Sault Ste
Marie doc will soon appear before a discipline panel
for his alleged infractions. While the Whitby doctor
has already admitted wrongdoing, his colleague in the
Sault has had his name dragged through the mud before
his hearing has been concluded. The Toronto Sun has
already run a couple of articles full of lurid details,
giving the paper the ammo it needed to open its April
7th piece with the following groan-inducing lead: "Another
good thing about a m�nage � trois... You can't find
a better doctor/patient ratio."
NOT
JUST FOR THE PROM
The very same issue has been also garnering some attention
in the UK, but in this case it's not Fleet Street but
the medical profession itself stirring things up. Two
letters concerning examination room protocol appear
in the April 9 British Medical Journal and a
study on the use of chaperones in general practice graced
the January 29 edition. The British study found roughly
half of male GPs surveyed rarely or never used chaperones
when they have to examine a female patient. This is
slightly troubling considering the following: for intimate
examinations, results showed 85% of female patients
accepted a chaperone when offered by a male doctor.
When it was a female doctor, only about 10% of female
patients opted for a chaperone. Only a statistically
insignificant 2-3% of male patients ever wanted a chaperone,
regardless of the examining doc's sex. In about three-quarters
of cases the chaperone was a nurse, while a receptionist
filled the role 18% of the time.
One of the BMJ letters summed
up the general mood of the British medical community:
"Doctors who continue performing intimate examinations
unchaperoned risk allegations of misconduct. Chaperones
are there for the protection of both parties."
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