Consent Requirements for Pelvic Examinations Performed for Training Purposes

Authors

Elaine Gibson, Dalhousie University Schulich School of LawFollow
Jocelyn Downie, Dalhousie University - Schulich School of LawFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2012

Keywords

battery, consent, pelvic examinations, medical treatment, medical students

Abstract

In 2010, The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) and The Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Canada (APOG) released an updated policy statement regarding pelvic examinations performed on women under anesthesia. The updated statement, unlike the previous 2006 guideline that applied to “medical trainees” (explicitly including students and residents), for the most part only applies to “medical students”. Pelvic examinations conducted for training purposes presumably constitute a battery in law, subject to the defence of consent. Residents need to be covered by an SOGC and APOG policy statement regarding pelvic examinations for training purposes with the same requirements that the updated statement establishes for medical students.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Elaine Gibson & Jocelyn Downie, "Consent Requirements for Pelvic Examinations Performed for Training Purposes" (2012) 184:10 CMAJ 1159.