Patient Modesty

Patient Modesty

"We all see you naked, but we don’t care" (but does the patient care?)

From a doctor:

"during the first operation that I witnessed as a medical student, I immediately realized that no one in there cares. We’ve all seen it a million times, and trust me, despite what you may believe, yours is no different than anyone else’s. I’ve had many patients who have been apprehensive about disrobing before surgery, but there is nothing remotely titillating in the operating room. Nothing."link

I've heard similar responses like this so many times.  It is such a big lie. It just makes me sick. First off, he says "the first operation that I witnessed."  There is a first time for EVERYONE.  There is no med student or nurse that was born with having "seen it a million times".  And keep in mind not only doctors are in the operating rooms.  A nurse, scrub tech, other techs, trainee, visitor, auditor, management all could be there watching.  I've read where a guy boasts that his friend that worked in the O.R. took him in to see a woman being prepped for a GYN surgery.  Woman totally exposed to a stranger off the street.  Without her knowledge at all.


Second " there is nothing remotely titillating in the operating room. Nothing." heard that from medical professionals all the time too.  Is that for real?  Let's look at some real world examples:

Examples:
 "New Orleans breast surgeon sent himself 'surreptitious' photos of naked patients during surgery"
"A noted New Orleans breast surgeon “surreptitiously” took nude photographs of patients during surgery, emailing himself pictures showing the patients’ “faces, breasts and vaginas,”

Seems this doctor didn't get the message.  Maybe he hasn't seen enough yet?  And notice he took pictures of their "vaginas"  His purpose is to work on their breasts.  But he takes advantage of the fact that the hospital doesn't allow patients to cover themselves.  Have to wonder what kind of person is making the rules.

For some practical tips and suggestions for maintaining modesty, check out our post on maintaining modesty.

"Doctor accused of taking photo of unconscious patient's private area"
How could she notice the tattoo and be interested enough to take a photo.  I thought they had seen it all a million times. Apparently sometimes it is interesting enough to warrant taking a personal photo.


Doctor taking photos of Sedated patient
Tell me again doctor that patients are all the same and the medical staff doesn't notice anything?

Doctor sexually assaults patient while unconscious
He also performed genital exams on a female despite being an Ear Nose and Throat specialist.  But they have seen it all, "yours is no different than anyone else’s". Apparently not all Doctors feel that way.


Prominent Emergency Room Doctor accused of four sexual assaults
This doctor seems to have made a habit of preying on young adult women who happened into his emergency room-- yet they "all look the same"...


Cardiologist snapping nude pictures of a girl in the bathroom.
If he's seen it all a million times why is he trying to sneak a pic?

And it is not just a problem with male health care workers. Female workers notice and respond to their patients' bodies as well.
Nurse texts photo of unconscious patient's penis

Female ENT doctor accused of routinely giving genital exams to male patients while they were sedated. 

Here's a whole article on protecting patients from sexual predators in the OR.

Why do these things happen?

The above are just a few examples of countless cases of criminal sexual misconduct in a medical setting. Cases where someone actually got caught.  Which you know that most of the time they aren't caught. Since they've "seen it all" and there is "nothing stimulating," why do these things happen? Why do we pretend that professionals aren't human and don't even see their patients? That is simply unrealistic and not accurate.

A medical training document published by the government of the United Kingdom states:

"Students must be taught that there is nothing unusual or abnormal about having sexualised feelings towards certain patients, but that failing to identify these feelings and acting on them is and likely to result in serious consequences for their patients and themselves."

"If a healthcare professional is sexually attracted to a patient and is concerned that it may affect their professional relationship with them, they should ask for help and advice from a colleague or appropriate body in order to decide on the most professional course of action to take. If, having sought advice, the healthcare professional does not believe they can remain objective and professional, they must:
• find alternative care for the patient
• ensure a proper handover to another healthcare professional takes place
• hand over care in a way that does not make the patient feel that they have done anything wrong."
link

"There is nothing unusual or abnormal about having sexualized feelings towards certain patients." It is biology. It is going to happen. So rather than pretending that doctors can turn off their sexuality like a switch, which they can't.  Why isn't the topic dealt with realistically so that proper protections for patient and doctor can be provided for?

What about chaperones in the room during exams? This article talks about how seldom chaperones are used and how often patients are more uncomfortable when one is used. I can understand this since the general approach to chaperones is to grab some other employee (so generally a stranger to the patient), so now the patient has two strangers ogling them instead of one. And sometimes that extra has little medical training. Plus, if there is an environment of inappropriate behavior at a medical facility, it often involves more than one employee or else other employees are quiet out of fear of employment repercussions. This case, where a surgical tech was both sexually assaulted and witnessed inappropriate behavior towards patients, is an example. Bringing in a coworker does little to encourage patient trust. In fact, when chaperones are used, it is generally to protect the doctor (from accusations and lawsuits) rather than the patient. This article  explains how and why chaperones are typically used and how they aren't much help to the patient. It also includes this great reminder that doctors are human and aren't magically blind to their patient's appearance:
"A third reason respondents said they used chaperones was protection from their own sexual feelings. One male doctor talked about a female patient of his who he considered “gorgeous.” He had a difficult time examining her. “…I needed to use a chaperone." he admitted. "A chaperone not for her comfort but for mine.”

Wouldn't increased modesty for patients make the situation more comfortable for both the patient and for the doctor and other medical staff who may be sexually aroused, in spite of his/her best intentions? The less they can see, the less likely they will be notice something they wish they hadn't. You can read more on this topic here.

Isn't there also a very logical argument for using doctors and nursers of the patient's gender for intimate procedures and exams? This article shows that patients would prefer it, but are often too embarrassed to request it, in part because of the derision with which medical personnel tend to respond to these requests.

For some practical tips and suggestions, check out our post on maintaining modesty.