title: Experience and attitude of interns to pelvic and sensitive area examinations during their undergraduate medical course.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the experience of interns in sensitive area examination during their undergraduate medical course and identify factors interfering with such examinations.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross sectional study was carried out from May to June 2010. Interns (n=315) at King Saud University College of Medicine were invited via email to complete a web-based questionnaire developed using surveymonkey.com.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 315 interns, 211 completed the questionnaire; 60% males and 40% females. The mean percentage of interns who never performed any of these examinations was 28.9% for digital rectal examination, 17.5% for breast, 43.1% for female pelvic examination, 13.3% for inguinal (hernia), and 34.6% for male external genitalia. Compared to females, male students conducted more rectal examinations (87 versus 63, p<0.005), and male external genitalia examinations (112 versus 26, p<0.001). On the other hand, compared to male students, females conducted more pelvic examination (68 versus 52, p=0.03) and breast examinations (92 versus 82, p=0.27). The most common reasons for not performing sensitive area examinations included patient's refusal (33.1%), and examining patients of opposite gender (27.6%). Confidence in performance of these examinations was correlated to increased frequency of the examination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study highlights that most common factors interfering with the students' conducting sensitive area examinations are patient's refusal and examining patients of the opposite sex. There is a strong correlation between increased frequency of conducting an examination and student's confidence in performance.
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery (37), King Saud University, PO Box 7805, Riyadh 11427, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. snassar@ksu.edu.sa
authors.forename: Sami A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Alnassar
authors.forename: Reham A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Almuhaya
authors.forename: Ghadeer K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Al-Shaikh
authors.forename: Muslim M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Alsaadi
authors.forename: Samy A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Azer
authors.forename: Arthur C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Isnani
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D051517:Digital Rectal Examination / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005832:Genital Diseases, Male / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006552:Hernia, Inguinal / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012737:Sex Factors; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult