Premium
The perception and use of chaperones by Nigerian gynecologists
Author(s) -
Nkwo Peter O.,
Chigbu Chibuike O.,
Ajah Leonard O.,
Okoro Onyemaechi S.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2012.07.014
Subject(s) - medicine , scarcity , chaperone (clinical) , family medicine , descriptive statistics , perception , gynecology , nursing , statistics , mathematics , neuroscience , economics , microeconomics , biology
Objective To determine how Nigerian gynecologists perceive and use chaperones during intimate gynecologic examinations. Methods A cross‐sectional survey of Nigerian gynecologists was conducted with the aid of self‐administered, semi‐structured questionnaires. Data were analyzed for descriptive and inferential statistics. Results In all, 97.6% of respondents considered the use of a chaperone necessary during intimate gynecologic examinations and recommended that the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON) should endorse the routine offer of chaperones for such examinations. However, just 35.9% of male physicians always or often used chaperones, while 76.9% of female physicians used chaperones only under special circumstances. No female physician always or often used a chaperone during pelvic examination. The main obstacles to the use of chaperones were scarcity of personnel to serve in this capacity (87.6%) and patients’ refusal to be examined in the presence of a third party (12.4%). Conclusion Most Nigerian gynecologists use chaperones at least some of the time and also support a policy of routinely offering chaperones during intimate gynecologic examination while respecting patients’ right to decline this offer. Scarcity of personnel to serve as chaperones is the greatest challenge to the implementation of this policy.