Not Just Bodies: Strategies for Desexualizing the Physical Examination of Patients

Health care professionals use strategies during the physical examination to stay in control of their feelings, the behaviors of their patients, and to avoid allegations of sexual misconduct. To investigate how health care practitioners desexualize physical exams, the authors conducted 70 in-depth in...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Gender & society 2000-06, Vol.14 (3), p.457-482
Main Authors: Giuffre, Patti A., Williams, Christine L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Doctor-patient relationship
Doctors
Empathy
Examinations
Health care
Health Professions
Heterosexuality
Human body
Medical students
Men
Nurses
Nursing students
Patient assessment
Patients
Physical examinations
Physicians
Practitioner Patient Relationship
Professional Ethics
Research Reports
Sex Stereotypes
Sexes
Sexual harassment
Sexuality
Stereotypes
Teaching hospitals
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Health care professionals use strategies during the physical examination to stay in control of their feelings, the behaviors of their patients, and to avoid allegations of sexual misconduct. To investigate how health care practitioners desexualize physical exams, the authors conducted 70 in-depth interviews with physicians and nurses. Three desexualizing strategies were general ones, used by both male and female health care providers, and were employed regardless of the characteristics of the patients: engaging in conversation and nonsexual joking, meeting the patient clothed before the exam, and using medical rather than colloquial terms. Six strategies were used only in specific contexts or were used primarily by men or women. These gendered strategies include using a chaperone, objectifying the patient, empathizing with the patient, joking about sex, threatening the patient, and looking professional. The authors conclude that desexualizing the exam is gendered and, in some contexts, (hetero) sexualized. Using certain strategies bolsters stereotypes about gender and heterosexual relationships in the hospital.
ISSN:0891-2432
1552-3977
DOI:10.1177/089124300014003006