title: Professionalism and the intimate examination - are chaperones the answer?
abstract: Complaints of sexual impropriety against healthcare practitioners are escalating. Professionalism in the practitioner-patient relationship and the role-based trust in health care do not allow crossing of sexual boundaries. Communication with patients is key to prevent erroneous allegations of sexual misconduct. The intimate examination is difficult to define. A chaperone present during an intimate examination protects the patient and practitioner and should be considered a risk reduction strategy in practice.
authors.affiliation: Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Amaboo.Dhai@wits.ac.za
authors.forename: Ames
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dhai
authors.forename: Jillian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.forename: Yolande
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guidozzi
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Howarth
authors.forename: Merryll
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vorster
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D058869:Gynecological Examination / Q000941:ethics / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D061348:Medical Chaperones / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D018907:Privacy; D011363:Professional Impairment; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D035502:Trust