Medical chaperoning at a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia: Prevalence and patient preference

Medical chaperoning at a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia: survey of physicians

“…A Canadian study showed that 87.4% of male and 32.3% of female physicians used a MC during an intimate examination of the opposite gender 8. The results of this study, together with the results of our previous patient-based study,12 confirm that MC are underutilised particularly among female physicians and extends the observation to Islamic/Arabic culture.…”

“…The Islamic International Constitution of Health and Medical Ethics states that the physician should respect the patient’s faith, religion and customs and be careful not to commit any breaches of Islamic rulings as being alone with a person of the opposite gender 9. Furthermore, our previous survey12 indicated that 51% and 85% of patients strongly preferred the presence of a MC during interview and examination, respectively, and 53% and 63%, respectively, cited religion as the reason. This is consistent with the findings in the current study; 43.3% of respondents who frequently used a MC cited religion as a major factor.…”

“…Furthermore, in a tertiary care government hospital, patients do not have the privilege of choosing their practitioner. Furthermore, previous studies in other parts of the world showed lower chaperone use by female compared with male physicians 1 2 3 7 8 12…”

“…There is a paucity of literature on MC use in Islamic countries. We have previously reported, in a patient-based survey, that 38% and 26% of the 205 patients treated at a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia were interviewed or examined, respectively, in the absence of MC and that most were not offered nor requested a MC 12. However, the vast majority preferred to have a MC 12…”