TY - JOUR
T1 - Consent for the Pelvic Examination under Anesthesia by Medical Students
T2 - Recommendations by the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics
AU - Hammoud, Maya M.
AU - Spector-Bagdady, Kayte
AU - O'Reilly, Meg
AU - Major, Carol
AU - Baecher-Lind, Laura
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
PY - 2019/12/1
Y1 - 2019/12/1
N2 - The pelvic examination is a critical tool for the diagnosis of women's health conditions and remains an important skill necessary for students to master before becoming physicians. Recently, concerns regarding student involvement in pelvic examinations-specifically those performed while a woman is under anesthesia-have been raised in the scientific, professional, and lay literature. These concerns have led to calls to limit or halt the performance of pelvic examinations by students while a woman is under anesthesia. Although ensuring adequate informed consent for teaching pelvic examinations is a priority, we must not lose sight of the critical pedagogical value of teaching pelvic examination in familiarizing students with the female anatomy and instilling a physician workforce with confidence in pelvic examination skills. A compromise that addresses all of these values is possible. In this commentary, we review the educational and legal aspects of the pelvic examination under anesthesia, then provide strategies that individuals and institutions can consider to optimize processes regarding consent for pelvic examination under anesthesia.
AB - The pelvic examination is a critical tool for the diagnosis of women's health conditions and remains an important skill necessary for students to master before becoming physicians. Recently, concerns regarding student involvement in pelvic examinations-specifically those performed while a woman is under anesthesia-have been raised in the scientific, professional, and lay literature. These concerns have led to calls to limit or halt the performance of pelvic examinations by students while a woman is under anesthesia. Although ensuring adequate informed consent for teaching pelvic examinations is a priority, we must not lose sight of the critical pedagogical value of teaching pelvic examination in familiarizing students with the female anatomy and instilling a physician workforce with confidence in pelvic examination skills. A compromise that addresses all of these values is possible. In this commentary, we review the educational and legal aspects of the pelvic examination under anesthesia, then provide strategies that individuals and institutions can consider to optimize processes regarding consent for pelvic examination under anesthesia.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85075527795&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85075527795&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/AOG.0000000000003560
DO - 10.1097/AOG.0000000000003560
M3 - Review article
C2 - 31698378
AN - SCOPUS:85075527795
SN - 0029-7844
VL - 134
SP - 1303
EP - 1307
JO - Obstetrics and gynecology
JF - Obstetrics and gynecology
IS - 6
ER -