Consent Requirements for Pelvic Examinations Performed for Training Purposes

184(1) CMAJ 1159 (2012)

3 Pages Posted: 3 Jul 2013 Last revised: 9 Dec 2015

See all articles by Elaine Gibson

Elaine Gibson

Dalhousie University - Schulich School of Law

Jocelyn Downie

Schulich School of Law & Faculty of Medicine

Date Written: 2012

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.

Keywords: battery, consent, pelvic examinations, medical treatment

Suggested Citation

Gibson, Elaine and Downie, Jocelyn, Consent Requirements for Pelvic Examinations Performed for Training Purposes (2012). 184(1) CMAJ 1159 (2012), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2288644

Elaine Gibson (Contact Author)

Dalhousie University - Schulich School of Law ( email )

6061 University Avenue
6061 University Ave
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4H9
Canada

Jocelyn Downie

Schulich School of Law & Faculty of Medicine ( email )

Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4H9
Canada

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
50
Abstract Views
692
PlumX Metrics