RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 ‘Nipples to knees’ in the ‘Me Too’ era
JF Clinical Medicine
JO Clin Med
FD Royal College of Physicians
SP 235
OP 236
DO 10.7861/clinmed.2019-0484
VO 20
IS 2
A1 Annabelle Lee
A1 Louis Koizia
A1 Melanie Dani
A1 Michael Fertleman
YR 2020
UL http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/20/2/235.abstract
AB We live in an era of increased societal awareness of sexual harassment and frequent reporting by patients of inappropriate conduct. In this article, we reflect on traditional teaching of physical examination involving full exposure and intimate examinations, and whether this is still necessary, or appropriate, in clinical practice today. We discuss the balance between appropriate physical examination and inappropriate patient exposure resulting in perceived or actual harassment. We argue that ethical values and societal values change with time, and there is an onus on medical educators to reflect societal sensitivities in their teaching.