Pelvic examination instruction and the doctor-patient relationship

Nonphysician women instructors from a women's health center taught the pelvic examination to second-year Harvard Medical School medical students. They demonstrated the procedure and acted as subjects for the students' examinations. In addition to teaching standard techniques, the instructors showed how the patient could be offered explanation of the procedure and information about her health during the performance of the examination. The exercises are described in terms of their implications for teaching the doctor-patient relationship during physical examination instruction. The following aspects are discussed: the use of nonphysicians as "practical instructors," improving attitudes toward women and promoting patient autonomy, and redefining aspects of the student-patient relationship in clinical training.