Last night I came across this blog. So are women afforded more privacy then men in healthcare? Is a woman who requests a female doctor, nurse, or aid more likely to have her request honored then a man who requests another man? I have to say yes since among other things there are far more female nurses than male. Healthcare workers how do you view a patient who doesn’t want to be treated by you out of a preference for their own sex? Anybody have any first-hand observations? It seems clear that women, in general, are afforded more privacy then men in general and men aren’t expected to care or raise a fuss. On the flip side could medical workers be projecting their own views of modesty onto their patients and going so overboard as to make their patients uncomfortable?
PS I posted under the name Hadrian0117.
I think it’s creepy to have a woman hanging around when I’m wearing a paper dress with my ass hanging out.
I think the gown itself is creep enough. Of all the times I’ve needed to wear one to get test done a pair of boxers would’ve sufficed and been more comfortable. But noo it’s “against hospital policy to have anyting of your own on”.
If a man requested a male doctor to discuss a urological or sexual issue –
this happens all the time. I wouldn’t think twice about it. This request is usually accommodated, and most urologists in my neck of the woods are male. I wouldn’t think twice if a woman wanted a woman doctor to discuss her gynecological problem. In my neck of the woods, most of the OB-GYNs are male, but we’d accommodate her request although she may wait longer for an appointment.
If either a male or female requested a doctor of a certain sex to, say, measure their blood pressure, they would be told our busy emergency room has one doctor on duty and they should return at a later time.
People often prefer a doctor of their cultural background, or who speak a certain language. I don’t have a problem with this. I am not convinced that women are granted their preference much more often than men. I do not judge patients by these requests.
Women are recommended to get GYN exams annually starting at 18 or earlier. Pregnancy results in multiple reproductive-related doctor visits. So just based on numbers, it seems logical that more of women’s doctor visits involve the type of thing that might make someone uncomfortable dealing with someone of the sex that makes them uncomfortable. As a percentage, visits for more neutral things like blood pressure, sprained ankle, allergies, etc. make up a higher percent of men’s visits.
My concern is with the competence of said medical personnel more than their gender. Do you know what you’re doing? Then go ahead. But I can understand people who feel differently. I think that within reason requests for same-gender medical personnel should be honored. The question is what is the definition of within reason.
That being said, if a doctor who is an expert in something I have is from Mars, I don’t care, as long as I get good medical care. And I’m female. Maybe I’m the odd one out here?
Nah, whiterabbit, I agree with you. I was just pointing out one reason why this issue comes up more with women. Also, there are some women who prefer male doctors, even OB/GYN.
But now that I realize this is in IMHO, not GQ, I will add that, at least based on any kind of reported numbers, men commit a lot more sexual assaults than women. That would be another reason why people might request a female vs. a male doctor for an intimate procedure.
Also, where I go, there is usually a nurse, typically although not always female, present for the more invasive exams. This seems like part practicality, part CYA on the MD’s part, and part helping to make the patient comfortable.
As a woman I prefer to have a female gynecologist but for regular medical care it doesn’t matter. With gynie things though I want a woman for the same reason that I wouldn’t want to take my car to a mechanic that has never driven before. Sure, they have studied and messed around under the hood but they have no idea what it is like behind the wheel. I know that is weird but it makes sense to me.
Nah, it’s not weird at all. It makes perfect sense that you’d want someone who not only knows academically that a certain procedure can be painful, but also has an understanding of WHY the procedure is painful. A man does not truly comprehend the pain you can feel during a pelvic exam. Or how much a mammogram can hurt.
But then, I can’t truly know the pain a man undergoes when he’s hit in the groin. I don’t know the apprehension he’d feel when contemplating a vasectomy. Another man would.
Wanting a doctor who can sincerely sympathize with your fears and pain is not weird in the least.
Hello, male ER nurse checking in. We always try to make pts comfortable by honoring their requests, but sometimes we don’t have a female doc on duty. While I have assisted with pelvic exams, it’s much more common for a female nurse, and I’ve never done one without the pts permission. Age is a factor, I can’t tell you how many multi-para women have told me “dude I am so over it.” OTOH, I would flat stay away from a 12-17 y/o unless it was a full on trauma when privacy is next to non-existent. On a side note I’ll tell you that breast augmentation shows up clearly on chest x-ray. I usually say something like “I can get you a girl nurse if you want, might take a minute.” I had one pt (adult) who couldn’t get her bits out fast enough, that creeped me a little. one time I went to give tylenol to another nurses pt, the admitting doc was there and asked me to chaperone for a rectal exam. The pt was a little old lady from a nursing home with stringy hair and sallow skin, but her eyes were bird bright. I asked her if she wanted help with her clothes and she popped out with “It’s been a long time since a man took my panties down.” Man, I love this job
My mom’s a nurse’s aid. Her hospital as a similiar problem, but with nurses. They only have a few male nurses or nurse’s aids on staff and entire departments have none. So if a female patient asks for a woman to help her bath or use the toilet it’s only a matter of going to the desk and switching with a female. If a male patient requests a male nurse/aid then they’d probally have to call one down from another department, send someone to cover him, etc. However most of their doctors are male.
I work in insurance and gender is an issue in some cases. A woman wanted a female ob/gyn, I wouldn’t even think about that being weird. The one that wanted a female ENT I found a little odd, and the one that read me the riot act for giving a her a male pediatrician for her three year old made me scratch my head. Men don’t seem to give a damn, in general, although far more often their wives/girlfriends/mothers make the appointments for them anyway, so I’m not sure how much that factors in, as well.
WTF? Now this sort of thing pisses me off. I’ve 4 years experience in a childrens’ hospital, kids love me, and I have the skills to get icky things done quickly. Sounds like she was meeting her own needs not the kids. shaking my head
It’s a stretch, but maybe the kid was hurt by a man and would feel much better with a woman.
My bet would be that the PARENT was hurt as a child by a man and would feel much better with a woman.
Well, this drifts a bit from the OP, but I have seen less skilled female nurses hurt a kid more than I would have because they thought they were doing the parents a favor. Almost nothing gets me more jacked up than unnecessary pain for a kid
I do not prefer a woman OB/GYN. I prefer one that listens to me and respects me. The one I chose to be my doctor was chosen because he has a single practice. I will always see him, not some other doctor. I stayed with him because he is respectful and gentle and will explain things to me at a detailed level, and doesn’t mind that I research everything on my own too.
Now, my husband vastly prefers having a female urologist despite the fact that having a woman doctor makes him feel embarrassed and shy. He even blushes. His experience is that male urologists are sadists. He has had numerous issues requiring urologists over the years. The men have repeatedly failed to listen to him. At one point his prostate was swollen to the size of a large apple. The male doc did a rectal exam and despite being told it would yield no results tried to massage his prostate for nearly five scream filled minutes. Females generally stop probing after the first scream. He has been afforded less privacy than I would be for exams, but much of his care has been through the VA, so we are not comparing apples to apples so to speak. He would appreciate more privacy and would like it if the doctor did not invite a gaggle of med students to watch him bend over and scream, but hasn’t really been given the choice.
For other specialties like orthopedics, men and women are about the same for sadism, but older doctors male or female, are more likely to be sadists and disrespectful. All orthopedic doctors are quite likely to call other doctors in to “Get a load of this!” with no difference noticeable between male and female.
The only time I have had my OB ask me if another doctor could also attend me was when I was in labor. He was teaching a resident. The resident was respectful and seemed considerate of my privacy and I was very glad my doctor was teaching him as he seemed like he had a good bedside manner but suffered from some stupid misconceptions. For example, when my OB was stitching me up the resident wondered why he was not pulling the stitches tighter and not doing proper sutures with knots between each one. My doctor told him that:
[ul][li]Pulling the stitches tighter would impede blood flow and healing.[/li][li]The rip would naturally be pressed together when I was in a more natural position[/li][li]The purpose of the stitches is so that things line up and can heal.[/li][li]Sutures would itch more and be less flexible and more likely to rip out.[/li][/ul]
So, yes, in my experience, women get more privacy than men. BTW, our family doctor, who is also our pediatrician, is male, not because I sought a male, but because he was the first doctor I found who correctly treated an injury I had and teated me with respect. He shares a practice and most of the other doctors we see there are female. I have not had any trouble with any of them.
When my baby was in hospital with respiratory problems, I preferred the male nurses…they were able to get the nose prongs in more snugly and securely. I’m not sure why - it seemed like the female nurses were almost a little too gentle and weren’t taping the things on tight enough.
My family physician for about a year was female (I’m male), and it was a pretty uncomfortable experience, mainly because she insisted in having a nurse (always female) in the examining room with her. It was weird enough having the doctor palpate my testicles without having a twenty-something cute nurse also there trying to look compassionate.
Interesting, why did she insist on having a nurse there (I assume she didn’t have a male nurse on staff) if you objected?