Bad medicine: clinical breast examination
BMJ 2012; 345 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e6789 (Published 11 October 2012) Cite this as: BMJ 2012;345:e6789- Des Spence, general practitioner, Glasgow
- destwo{at}yahoo.co.uk
To question clinical examination is to open a rich vein of debate. Clinical examinations are unquestioned, given disproportionate weight, and considered “must do.” Not doing a full examination implies you are a bad doctor. But much of examination is mere ritualistic dogma passed down through the ages. Examination would never pass modern assessments of predictive value. Is this so for clinical breast examination (CBE)?⇑
For CBE, I was taught that the patient should be exposed from the chest down, examined in various positions, and palpated with the three central fingers in the various quadrants, and …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £173 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£38 / $45 / €42 (excludes VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.