A chaperone is a third person of the same gender as the patient who is present in a room where a physician is examining a patient.
Situations where a chaperone is typically expected:
(1) a male doctor is examining a female patient
(2) the patient feels uncomfortable with the provider for whatever reason
(3) the physician with a past history of sexual misconduct
(4) the physician feels uncomfortable about the patient for whatever reason
The chaperone can protect the provider as well as the patient. While protection of female patients from male providers may be the standard rationale, a risk exists with any combination of patient and provider gender.
For a person who does not speak the local language, the chaperone may also serve as translator.
One downside to a chaperone is the expense of having someone available. If the person is assisting the provider then this is cost-justified. Having an extra person available may slow throughput in a clinic.
It may be decided to dispense with a chaperone. In this case the patient:
(1) should provide consent
(2) given the option of asking for a chaperone
