Using a Wrap Skirt to Improve the Pelvic Examination Experience
INTRODUCTION:
The
study aims were to analyze the experience of women and their physicians of
nakedness when moving between changing room and examination chair and during
pelvic examination itself, and to assess the protective benefit of a wrap skirt
in alleviating the associated discomfort and vulnerability.
MATERIAL AND METHODS:
We
offered 1000 women a wrap skirt for pelvic examination and asked them to
complete a post-procedure questionnaire. Physicians were invited to complete a
similar but separate questionnaire. Data were analyzed using χ2 contingency
tables.
RESULTS:
425 women
(43%, age 15-78 years) completed the questionnaire; 51% felt uncomfortable and
embarrassed during the examination, Muslim women significantly more so
(p < 0.001). Most women (n = 255; 58%) rated the wrap
skirt a significant improvement; 69% requested it for future examinations,
significantly more so if the physician was male rather than female (66% vs.
54%, p = 0.003). Even one-third of women experiencing no discomfort
reported improvement. Most examiners (n = 45; 56%) found the wrap
skirt beneficial; 31 (38%) were unconvinced.
CONCLUSIONS:
Pelvic
examination as practiced in many countries, on women naked from the waist down
throughout, causes unnecessary embarrassment. A simple protective measure such
as a wrap skirt significantly alleviates the discomfort and sense of
vulnerability associated with nakedness
- 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2016 Feb 11. doi: 10.1111/aogs.12869.
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