I was surprised that privacy and modesty not given in healthcare (mostly male patients) is such a significant issue and  one that is not being adressed by our physicians, techs, nurses nor the administration of facilites providing care. Go to the site:  http://bioethicsdiscussion.blogspot.com  On the search line you can look up Patient Modesty: A more significant issue, Naked, Patient Modesty Volume 3.  There are over 1500 entries on the site of people venting their anger. 

An informative discussion on this same topic is on allnurses.com under the thread of "male medical modesty".  All nurses and ancillary medical personnel should acquaint themselves with this information and the feelings patients' really have but obviously do not routinely express.

A thread was deleted on this site under "sexually charged" was a statement by a nurse  that stated she had not had a male patient refuse her services and those men that do refuse a female are in the minority. After reading the bioehtics blog by Dr. Berstein and the allnurses thread, it is hard to believe. Men are typically not good at expressing themselves and this is case in fact. Men should be asked and given the choice but this is not the routine. Things need to be re-evaluated and changes made, giving men the same courtesies given to women.

 

Sorry D, they couldn't care less. I think they enjoy it too much!

There is now so many comments and posts there is currently :  Patient Modesty - Volume 2, Patient Modesty - Volume 3, Patient Modesty - Volume 4 and Patient Modesty  - Volume 5.

 

The other new site is www.patientprivacy.blogspot.com

 

     Everyone in healthcare need to realize that not providing privacy to a patient is considered unethical and unprofessional behavior and can result in revocation of any license whether it be nursing,respiratory etc.

The bioethics discussion blog is now in Volume 6 and there are some very interesting posts on just how history has changed regarding male patient modesty and the evolution of male orderlies performing intimate procedures on male patients, etc.  MER has posted some interesing insights with proper research findings on this subject.

Just tuned in and  think I have the idea about what is going on. I have a question. I am a NP and as one do sports' physicals. Lot's of boys get upset when I do a hernia exam and I don't blame them. I try to explain why and what and have theri partent there. but for some it is traumatic. but, hernials are traumatic. Any ideas on how to make it better? I used to have them do squats to screen kids. A doc I worked for suggested that but where I am now requires the full exam.  This is not so much a bioethical issure since i do try to maintain privacy and modesty and make it just another part of the exam. But I am looking for some feedback on making it better. Fact is, I don't like embarassing the kids either.

Sharon Ledbetter:

Just tuned in and  think I have the idea about what is going on. I have a question. I am a NP and as one do sports' physicals. Lot's of boys get upset when I do a hernia exam and I don't blame them. I try to explain why and what and have theri partent there. but for some it is traumatic. but, hernials are traumatic. Any ideas on how to make it better? I used to have them do squats to screen kids. A doc I worked for suggested that but where I am now requires the full exam.  This is not so much a bioethical issure since i do try to maintain privacy and modesty and make it just another part of the exam. But I am looking for some feedback on making it better. Fact is, I don't like embarassing the kids either.

 

     Hernia exams are worthless! If you have a hernia you would know it. Women get hernias as well. Do you do hernia exams on women

as well? I didn't think so. Don't you think its important to check for things like scoliosis in young people. If a 15 year old has the beginnings of

scoliosis and no one picks it up by their late teens then its too late. You have just ruined that kids life.Why, cause you live in the dark ages.

    I've never had a hernia exam. I would refuse it no matter what the gender of the provider. I see so many young people in their 20's with

scoliosis. Why? Go to www.patientprivacy.blogspot  The parents of these children need to know whats going on at these schools!

Sharon Ledbetter:

Just tuned in and  think I have the idea about what is going on. I have a question. I am a NP and as one do sports' physicals. Lot's of boys get upset when I do a hernia exam and I don't blame them. I try to explain why and what and have theri partent there. but for some it is traumatic. but, hernials are traumatic. Any ideas on how to make it better? I used to have them do squats to screen kids. A doc I worked for suggested that but where I am now requires the full exam.  This is not so much a bioethical issure since i do try to maintain privacy and modesty and make it just another part of the exam. But I am looking for some feedback on making it better. Fact is, I don't like embarassing the kids either.

It is not about the nurse or clinician. It is about the patient and the patients' privacy rights. These are core beliefs of institutions. The fundamental patient rights are documented and  hang on the walls of every hospital/ clinic setting in this country. Would it be acceptable for a male nurse to do a hernia or any other kind of intimate exam on young females?   The issue is the patient's right to privacy. This kind of intimate exam and nudity of the genitals should not be imposed on a young person or any other person for that matter. True many patients may not openly object, but they are in a situation where they feel stripped (no pun intended!) of control, feel intimidated and the fact is most people simply do not "speak up."

Silent compliance does not necessarily equate to approval and acceptance of a situation. You can bet that many go home and think about this afterwards and are very angry with what transpired and what they were "forced" or co-erced into doing. Put yourself in the naked persons skin. It is always easy for a nurse or other healthcare worker to simply throw these things off as meaning nothing to "them".  It is not about "them" it is about the person who is naked. 

On the bioethics discussion blog under patient modesty volume 6 there is current discussion on How Nurses Feel about patient modesty and espcially how it is addressed related to male intimate care.  They would like for nurses to respond on how they feel.

To Sharon Ledbetter and other caring NP's, nurses, doctors

I appreciate the fact that you do seem to care. This is a big issue for me because when I was young I missed out on so much because I wouldn’t let a female doctor or nurse give me a hernia exam. I’m older now but throughout my life I’ve been an avid sports fan and have played several sports, outside the school system

First, I have a question that you may or may not know the answer to. Why have a female give sports physicals to boys in the first place? Never in my life have I understood that. A hernia exam by a man isn’t an enjoyable experience either but for me would be tolerable. Why? I just don’t get it. Is it some kind of international rite of passage? Are there no male NP’s where you work? Don’t they realize how many boys are like I was and choose to bypass school sports because of this? I know many other people that did what I did but never spoke up to anyone in authority. I still have yet to hear a logical answer for this.

You seem to be one of the few that actually care about the misery of the boys that are raised with high moral standards (and others with other reasons for hating the experience), do you or your co-workers have a conscience when it comes to this? I don’t mean to take it out on you but this has been such a problem for most of my life and you seem to be one of the few that will actually listen and give me (us) straight-up answers.

Another question I have is, do you let the school nurse watch during this procedure? You want suggestions on how to make it less embarrassing and other than suggesting a man do the procedure I would say for nearly everyone I’ve ever talked to the presence of the school nurse is by far the worst part. From all that I’ve heard the nurse has no part in the exam but to watch. Doesn’t she or the examiner realize that this just triples the humiliation? So much more humiliation for something that contributes absolutely nothing to the examination. If you allow the school nurse to watch I beg you for the sake of all the future boys to not let her watch the actual examination. If a chaperon is necessary there are better ways to do it. A male teacher teacher or principal wouldn’t be nearly as bad. Some kind of curtain or other object that keeps just that particular area of their body hidden. If you only pull the boys underwear down a little to look put the nurse behind him so he knows she won’t see that area.

Thanks for reading this and to anyone else that can actually read my entire message without skipping on to the next one. Please think about these suggestions. Doing the exam with some small changes may not mean anything to many examiners, school nurses or others but it can make a huge difference to the boys and might make this a much less miserable and humiliating experience for them.

 

   Everyone should get a clue to why they want to be there, women can be pedophiles just as men can be. One only needs

to look at what happened in Florida last year regarding three female teachers in the same county that were having sex with

15 year old boys. Their students!   Parents need to be more involved  with what goes on at these schools.

Hernia Exams: not to post the entire blog, but the problem in society and the healthcare field is that it is assumed that males don't have issues with female healthcare workers and genital exams and treatments. Many men do take offense to it and don't communicate their feelings.  This really needs to be addressed. It is acceptable for women to have modesty issues and to demand all female nurses/techs, etc. But it is a double standard for male patients.  This needs to change.

The new blog about the nursing students giving each other bed baths links the patients' feelings and same/opposite gender intimate care.

Go to the bioethics blog and read. Men on this blog absolutely hate to have intimate care given by the opposite sex. Unfortunately, most men don't speak up.  The blog site in now in Volume 10. Very interesting and all nurses should read through this site. It is monitored by Dr. Berstein of USC.

Sharon,

Thank you for caring and asking how you can help. First let me say women in medicine are every bit as qualified or possibly more qualified than their male counterparts. But when it comes to an intimate exam the patient should have the choice of who their exposed too. I have been humilated by female nurses during intimate exams in the past and won't let it happen again. We live in a society where its not unisex, we have seperate bathrooms, seperate locker rooms, etc. Why is it when  we go for an exam all of a sudden its completely alright to expose ourselves to opposite gender care and were not supposed to have a care in the world about it, its just as humilating for a male as it is for a female. The medical profession, especially hospitals are staffed by a gender mix of aproxiamately 90% female versus 10% male nurses. This makes it easy to accomodate female patients with same gender care for their comfort and to protect their modesty and dignity. I don't see this happening with male patients, why aren't they asked, would you prefer a male for this intimate procedure? Instead the female nurses just assume they have the right to the patients body. Men die sooner than  women, men don't go for routine health exams, could this possibly be one of the reasons why? It is for me, I can go to a male urologist for my comfort, because I feel more comfortable exposing myself to a male for my intimate care. But if he sends me out for a sonogram of my testicles, 90% of sonographers are female, how do you think men feel exposing themselves to opposite gender intimate care? Put yourself in these men's position, Women have Well Women Clinics staffed entirely by women, they never have to see a man. How would you feel if you made an appointment with a Doctor for a mammogram and arrived to find out it was a male giving the exam with a male chaperone, think about that. Or go for a pap smear and not knowing the gender of the provider until you arrived, found out it was a male, maybe he could bring in a young male chaperone to observe. Think about these feelings because this is how your male patients feel. To answer your question, ask them if they would perfer a male provider for that part of the exam, not all men or males will want this but I think you will be suprised at how many will if offered. Men don't usually speak up about this, I guess they think it shows weakness on their part. Silence does not mean that accept it, I have gotten to the point I speak up, I want same gender care for intimate procedures for my own comfort, I want my privacy and dignity protected as many females also demand in their intimate care.So please offer these males a choice, your buisness will grow, more males will go for regular check ups and our Fathers, Son's and Husbands will live a longer healthier life. I'm sure your a good medical professional, you must be because you asked the question of how to better serve your young patients.

 Thank you,

Lefteddie