How
Urologists Can Be More Sensitive to Men's Modesty?
Most urology practices in the
United States do not employ male nurses or assistants, even
in larger cities. This is a serious problem because approximately
75% of urology patients are male.
Often people wrongly assume that men don't care about their
modesty. In many cases, this is simply not true. Societal norms
say men are not supposed to be modest; that this is a sign of
weakness. From childhood males are socialized to “man
up”—make believe it doesn’t bother them—when
faced with an embarrassing medical exam or procedure; to acknowledge
embarrassment only serves to amplify it.
Many urologists may not realize that countless male patients
forego medical care or stop coming to appointments because male
nurses or assistants aren’t available and these patients
feel they cannot speak up for fear of being labeled weak or
crazy.
All-male staffed urology clinics in the United States are nearly
non-existent. Nowadays, women have the option of going to an
all-female ob/gyn practice; men should also have this option.
Every major city in the United States should have at least one
all-male staffed urology clinic specifically for men. These
male-specific clinics could be very lucrative because male patients
who avoided or delayed medical care would consider traveling
to them.
We encourage all urologists to work on being more sensitive
to male patients. Below are some tips to use as a guide.
Tips for Urologists:
1.) Hire at least
one male nurse and a male assistant for the urologic clinic.
Recruit male nurses, ultrasound technicians, and assistants
at the local community college if necessary.
2.) If no male nurses or assistants
are available do as many procedures such as vasectomy as possible
without assistance.
3.) Encourage office staff
to respect male patients’ privacy. Educate female staff
about patient sensitivity and health issues. For instance: a
male patient may not want to talk to the female receptionist
about his health issue.
4.) Always give a male patient
the option of having his wife present for procedures.
5.) Consider putting a ‘Do Not Disturb’
sign on the exam door so other medical personnel do not randomly
enter during intimate exams.
6.) Consider starting a private all-male staffed
urology clinic geared to special interest in male patients,
especially getting them to see a doctor more often. Perhaps
add a male gastroenterologist to the practice. Advertise the
clinic as being all-male staffed and sensitive to men’s
modesty.
7.) Many men care about their modesty during
surgical procedures, especially if they are under general anesthesia.
For these modest patients who require surgery at a hospital
or an outpatient surgery center commit to helping them get an
all-male surgical team. Be open to using local or regional anesthesia
whenever possible which allows the patient to be awake and alert
during a procedure. It would give that modest patient peace
of mind.
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