Tips For Patients To Prevent Sexual Abuse In Medical Settings

Recently, I was at diagnostic laboratory for a breast scan, after much waiting for the Sonographer, that turned out to be a man, I no shake, cos I thought I could leave my singlet on, but he said its not like that, breast scan is done on the bare breasts. I was like huh! you say?.. anyway after asking questions which he answered rather insensitively I told him I wanted a female doctor
and at the end a female doctor did the diagnosis. Sometime ago a Haematologists was supposed to do some check up on me and he said I should remove my top, and I thought ''how this one take concern blood'' after requesting for a female to be present the buffoon later said there is no need to remove the top...my point is that among other medical ethics the presence of a nurse especially when examining a female is very important. Come to think its best you go with a family member, or a friend because the nurse most times is there to protect the doctor.

here are tips to prevent sexual abuse in medical settings 

1.) It is best for a female patient to never go to a male gynecologist if possible. If you already have a male gynecologist, you should look at switching to a female gynecologist. There are so many good female ob/gyns you could choose from. Remember that the nurse or assistant is present to "protect" the doctor and will often be on the doctor's side. There have been cases where female patients felt the male doctor went too far, but the nurse or assistant felt he was simply doing thorough examinations. So it's usually better to take someone along. 

2.) Even with female ob/gyns, you have to take some precautions. It is very rare for female ob/gyns to commit sexual misconduct, but it is possible. Some female doctors are very coercive when it comes to doing things. You need to speak up about things you don't want to be done to you. For example, one female ob/gyn ignored a lady's wishes in writing that she didn't want any medical students present for her C-Section. It is wise to have someone who can help you advocate for what you want. You should ask the female ob/gyn to tell you in details about what exactly what she will be doing and if there is anything you don't like, you should speak up. Find out who all will be present for the procedure.

3.) Do not allow yourself to be pressured into having a pelvic exam, pap smear, or breast exam at any doctor appointments. Some female patients have gone to the doctor for other health concerns and were pressured into having unnecessary examinations. For instance if you go in for a sore throat and you think you may have strep throat, don't spend time listening to a lecture by the doctor about how important it is to have a pap smear and that you need one today. If something like that happens, tell the doctor you are not interested and you only want to talk about the reason you came in (ex: your throat is sore).

4.) Don't undress or put on a medical gown when it is unnecessary and/or you feel uncomfortable. There are so many procedures and tests that doctors can do on you without you having to change your clothes. For example, there's no need to change into a medical gown for a strep throat test.

5.) Keep in mind that it is unnecessary for you to take your shirt off for the doctor to listen to your heart. You should wear a thin shirt and not a sweatshirt. It is strange, but many doctors don't even ask men to take their shirts off to listen to their hearts, but they ask women to. That tells you something is wrong.

6.) You should think in advance about what parts of your body the doctor should examine and dress accordingly. For instance if you have a knee problem that you want the doctor to check out, you should put shorts, a gown, or a skirt instead of pants on so you would not have to take any of your clothes off in the doctor's office.

7.) If you are going to be put under anesthesia, you should insist that you have a family member or a friend present for your procedure to protect you. Patients who are under anesthesia are very vulnerable because they have no control over what happens. Many patients are unnecessarily stripped naked for surgeries. One female hand surgery patient had her gown and underwear removed after she was put under anesthesia. The only reason she found out was because she woke up in middle of the surgery.

8.) If you must be hospitalized, it would be best if you could have someone not employed by the hospital present with you at least most of the time especially when you are asleep or drowsy.

.

9.) Insist on a female technician for EKG, transvaginal ultrasound (if needed), etc.

culled.