Canadian trainees could be accused of “battery” for performing pelvic examinations under anaesthesia, say legal analysts

Recently updated Canadian guidelines concerning patient consent for pelvic examinations undertaken during anaesthesia contain a “major flaw” because they do not specifically mention trainees, say health law experts.

In 2010, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) and the Association of Academic Professionals in Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Canada (APOG) released an updated policy statement regarding pelvic examinations performed on women under anaesthesia. Unlike the previous 2006 guideline that applied to “medical trainees” (explicitly including students and residents), the updated statement for the most part applies only to “medical …