The Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday that hospitals must obtain written informed consent from patients before undergoing sensitive tests such as pelvic or prostate exams, especially if the patient is under anesthesia. .
A 2020 New York Times investigation found that hospitals, doctors, and doctors-in-training sometimes performed pelvic exams on women under anesthesia, even when it was not medically necessary and the patient did not have permission. There was found. In some cases, these exams were conducted solely for the educational benefit of residents.
On Monday, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, along with leaders from the department's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Office for Civil Rights, sent a letter to the nation's teaching hospitals and medical schools condemning the practices of doctors and students. Testing without explicit consent.
“The School of Medicine is aware of media reports and medical and scientific literature that highlight instances in which patients are subjected to delicate and intimate examinations as part of medical student courses of study and training,” the letter states. “It is critical that hospitals set clear guidelines to ensure that healthcare providers and residents performing these tests first obtain and document informed consent.”
The department issued a set of guidelines clarifying the long-standing requirement that hospitals obtain written informed consent as a condition of participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
“Patients who participate in the education of future clinicians should be conscious, have the opportunity to consent, and should have the same opportunity to participate in the education as if they were awake and clothed.” said Ashley Weitz. She underwent an unauthorized pelvic examination while under sedation in the emergency room. She said: “We can only expect improved trust in healthcare if both patients and healthcare professionals can expect a standard of care that prioritizes patient consent.”