Person Not Wanting A Med Student Attending Their Uncomfortable Exam Gets Confronted Over It

Is patient consent important in teaching hospitals?

Damjan

• Published in Interesting
• September 7, 2022

The doctor's office is unquestionably the one area in this perplexing world where we expect to feel secure. With worries and thoughts that have been circling in our minds for days, we enter the room, hoping to find some solace in their words.

It turns out though that we don't always get it. Despite the vast amount of talent, skill, and information required to become a doctor, not all medical professionals exhibit a caring bedside manner.

Some doctors forget that they are not there just to heal the body, but also the mind and the soul. "Mens sana in corpore sano" is a Latin phrase, usually translated as "a healthy mind in a healthy body."

And that's what all medical professionals should strive for. And most of them do.

However, there are some examples of doctors forgetting that. And we have one such example here.

One Reddit user recently posted a question " AITA for not wanting a Med School student to watch my doctor perform a rectoscope on me?" And it's a tricky one.

On one hand, we do want new doctors to be well trained and have enough experience when they start working on their own. On the other hand, if a patient is uncomfortable having other people in the office during a doctor's exam, they should be given the privacy they need.

But how will then medical students and young doctors learn? Tricky one, we tell you...

Take a look at this story - you'll see for yourself.

OP asks the Reddit crowd:

OP's doctor told them they needed to have a rectoscope. It was embarrassing for them to discuss it in front of medical students.

The doctor took OP into the exam room, and one of the students followed. OP said no, but they both insisted on the student being present during the exam. Finally, OP managed to make them abort the idea.

After the exam, that student confronted OP and they told her off. She called them an a-hole and left. Now, OP is confused. Did they do something wrong?

OP posted an update:

Some Redditors judged OP:

But most of them agreed - consent is important

People who go to teaching hospitals confirm:

Here is an example:

Bodily autonomy is important.

Doctors need to learn how to accept some patients' choices

There is a rule about consent even in teaching hospitals

No means no

One doctor says:

Medical student says:

Here is how they do it in France:

Many Redditors came forward with their stories. And we have it all - insightful responses that demonstrate how certain medical personnel is totally out of touch and distant while interacting with their patients, but also stories of doctors not doing anything that patient is not comfortable with.

And it is hard to say who is right here. Yes, doctors need to learn, but there is that thing called consent. It is not ethical to force someone into a public medical exam.

And that's the bottom line.

Damjan