Should the medical curriculum include gynecological examination of patients? What do patients think?

Tschzaschel, Marie ; Frevert, Marie Louise ; Goodwin, Bernhard ; Janni, Wolfgang ; Schochter, Fabienne ; Katharina, Hancke und Sabine, Schütze (2025): Should the medical curriculum include gynecological examination of patients? What do patients think? In: Gynäkologie, Bd. 58: S. 197-206

Abstract

Background At German medical schools, students are taught to physically examine patients. Especially examinations of the breast or the pelvis can be perceived as uncomfortable or shameful by patients. Few studies have evaluated the patients’ wishes. Methods We designed a questionnaire to ask women with an appointment at the University Hospital of Ulm about their wishes regarding physical examination by students or their presence in different situations (when awake/under anesthesia) and whether they knew that students would be present. To avoid bias (in potential treatment at the hospital), we asked the women what they would advise a good friend to do instead of asking what they would do themselves. Results The questionnaire was answered by 147 women. The likelihood that a participant would advise declining an examination when under general anesthesia was significantly lower when she knew that students would be present in the operating room (examination of the breast p = 0.030/pelvis p = 0.050) as was the likelihood of advising refusal of a student’s presence during surgery (p = 0.045). When comparing the participants’ answers regarding consent to an examination of the pelvis whilst awake vs. whilst under anesthesia, a significant preference for being conscious could be observed (p = 0.003). Conclusion Informing patients about the presence of students might help to raise the acceptance of physical examinations performed by students. Even though an examination under anesthesia is painless, patients seem to want to know what happens and to be awake during an examination for educational purposes.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Keywords: Medical Education; Anesthesia; Informed consent; Physical examination; Personal autonomy
• Fakultät: Sozialwissenschaften > Institut für Kommunikationswissenschaft und Medienforschung (IfKW)
• Themengebiete: 300 Sozialwissenschaften > 380 Handel, Kommunikation, Verkehr
• ISSN: 2731-7110
• Sprache: Englisch