BMJ 1995;310:936 (8 April)

Letters

Chaperones are necessary for female patients

EDITOR,--John Mitchell's account of the anaesthetist who was found guilty of serious professional misconduct after, in good faith, administering a diclofenac suppository to an anaesthetised female patient without having informed her of his intention raises several issues.1 Some of these are dealt with in the two commentaries on the case, but one that receives only passing mention is important. This is the need for a chaperone when an anaesthetic is being given to a female patient by a male doctor.

In my hospital the theatre nurse manager clearly thinks that I am being unnecessarily fussy in insisting on having a female member of staff in the anaesthetic room and claims that few of my colleagues require a chaperone. But, as John N Lunn points out in his commentary, procedures such as the application of electrocardiographic electrodes to the chest of a premedicated patient may place the anaesthetist (and, for that . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

A fundamental problem of consent
John Mitchell
BMJ 1995 310: 43-46. [Extract] [Full Text]




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