TITLE:
A Survey of the Perception of Female Surgical Residents of Their Training in the Examination of Male Genitalia in Makkah Hospitals, KSA
AUTHORS:
Rani A. Al-Sairafi, Sameer A. Softa, Aisha E. Ahmed, Elbagir A. Elfaki
KEYWORDS:
Perception, Confidence, Female Surgical Resident Trainees, Intimate Examination, Hernia
JOURNAL NAME:
Surgical Science,
Vol.12 No.12,
December
31,
2021
ABSTRACT: The basic aims of medical schools are to graduate doctors to be competent in eliciting
physical signs across all body systems. Deficiency in the clinical examination
skills of female surgical residents of the male groin hernia and genitalia has
not been explored and not enough investigated in the Arab and Muslim communities, despite obvious cultural restrictions
and religious traditions. The cultural background of the students also has had
an impact on their future training and skills. Certain systems’ examination for patients is considered very sensitive to perform by students and
doctors of both sexes due to their sensitive nature. This might be due to
cultural issues which affect the skills on these areas. Aim of this survey was
to explore the different reasons and the influence of gender on clinical
examination skills of female surgical trainees to male patient intimate. Methods:
A cross-sectional design based on a self-administered questionnaire which was
distributed to 80 female surgical resident trainees across
five Hospitals in Makkah, Holy city, Saudi Arabia. The study was carried out
between the period of September 2020 to July 2021 and involved all the female
surgical residents from level 1 - 5 (R1 to R5). Result: Our study
showed that overall perception of most of female residents on their performance
on clinical examinations is less than expected. This study revealed that the
main factor affecting the female resident’s clinical examination of the
opposite sex intimate is the gender difference. 56 (81.2%) participants stated
that their gender impacted their confidence and skills in examination of intimate
of opposite sex, while 13 (18.8%) stated that gender has no effect. Conclusion:
In conservative community, there
are numerous areas where gender influences medical student clinical learning,
including clinical exposure, supervisor support and patient willingness and
consents, as well as some of the undergraduate methods of learning clinical
skills not aligned with the post graduates needs.