double standard? or comfort/risk level difference?

[kid a]

My wife is a medical provider and routinely gives physical exams, as well as, yes the dreaded prostate exam.

Over lunch yesterday (i'm used to this kind of talk over food) she told me this story of an exam earlier in the morning when she was examining a fellow doc (no names mentioned) for hernia. If you've ever been examined for a hernia, you know there is extensive probing in the . . . well you know the area. The doc was a general surgeon and a specialist in hernias - so he basically gave her an update lesson on exams in that region.

She routinely does this on male patients without another person in the room. I asked her if it was routine to exam male patients alone in the room. (I mean - couldn't he complain of harassment?)

On the other hand, she said it was very rare for a male IM doc to exam a female patient without another female in the room? Should she be inviting colleagues in the room to examine male patients?

[wtmusic]

1. It sounds like they know each other

and not a big deal.

I have three doctors in the family. This kind of thing is pretty common.

[eyesroll]

2. From what I gather -- any patient has the right to ask that another

person be present for the exam, regardless of gender of either party. In some places, they're automatically provided for women with male doctors (because so many women would ask, or else would feel uncomfortable asking).

Many men I know wouldn't think to ask.

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. My mom worked as a MA for a male urologist

She or the (female) nurse were always present when the doctor examined a female patient, as per the clinic's policy. The reasoning was to avoid, as much as possible, the appearance of impropriety and thus avoid potentially devastating lawsuits. The doctor also once said that having a female assistant while examining female patients helped the patient to relax and feel more calm, making his job much easier and decreasing his need to be... well, no choice of words seems appropriate, but you know what I mean... which in turn made accusations of improper conduct less likely.

I think men just have a different comfort level about certain parts of their anatomy than do women, both from culture and the physiological differences between external and internal.