CULTURAL PREFERENCES FOR BREAST EXAM CHAPERONES

The use of a chaperone during pelvic and/or rectal examinations is consistent, but practices regarding breast examination are less clear. Patient preference, in particular, has not been well-defined.

We postulated that in a culturally diverse population such as New York City, differences such as religion or cultural background could influence patient preference for a breast examination chaperone.

A fifteen-question, self-guided English-language questionnaire was designed and approved by the institutional IRB. It was additionally translated into Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic, and distributed to patients undergoing breast examinations in private and public teaching hospitals.

Ten percent preferred to have a chaperone. There was a statistical difference (p=0.01) for family background that was non-Caucasian. There were no statistically significant differences according to religion, education, or language. An equal proportion of respondents did not want a chaperone (34%) or had no preference (34%). 19% of respondents wanted to be asked about their preference. One hundred and forty-two women (52%) indicated they preferred to be examined by a female.