Clinical Governance: An International Journal

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine an audit to assess compliance with the national standards for intimate examination and to identify areas where changes are required to improve the quality of patient's care.

Design/methodology/approach – A patient-based questionnaire was designed. The total numbers of clinics analyzed were 16. All the new patients, who had vaginal examinations, were asked to complete the semi-anonymous questionnaire after their consultation. These questionnaires were designed on the basis of RCOG and GMC standards for the intimate examination.

Findings – The overall response rate was 50 per cent. Only 27 patients (36 per cent) received the offer for a chaperone. Of the total 75 patients, 40 (53 per cent) patients have received the chaperone without an offer. The remaining eight patients (11 per cent), neither had the chaperone offered nor had one present at the time of examination. The presence of a chaperone was recorded for only 47 (62 per cent) patients.

Practical implications – It is recommended that all patients undergoing an intimate examination should be given a choice of having a chaperone after adequate explanation irrespective of the gender of the gynaecologist. The documentation regarding chaperones can be improved by increasing the awareness of its use among clinical staff through regular audits. The pre-printed chaperone tick box as a part of history/examination sheet is recommended.

Originality/value – This audit is different from previous audits in terms of its setting in secondary care. The majority of audits with a chaperone have been performed in a primary care setting. Its application has not been studied in secondary care settings before.