Modesty in medical settings refers to the practices and equipment used to preserve patient

modesty Modesty, sometimes known as demureness, is a mode of dress and deportment which intends to avoid the encouraging of sexual attraction in others. The word "modesty" comes from the Latin word ''wikt:modestus, modestus'' which means "keeping within ...

in medical examination and clinics.

Tools for modesty

Prior to the invention of the

stethoscope The stethoscope is a medical device for auscultation, or listening to internal sounds of an animal or human body. It typically has a small disc-shaped resonator that is placed against the skin, and one or two tubes connected to two earpieces. ...

, a physician who wanted to perform

auscultation Auscultation (based on the Latin verb ''auscultare'' "to listen") is listening to the internal sounds of the body, usually using a stethoscope. Auscultation is performed for the purposes of examining the circulatory and respiratory systems (hea ...

to listen to

heart sounds Heart sounds are the noises generated by the beating heart and the resultant flow of blood through it. Specifically, the sounds reflect the turbulence created when the heart valves snap shut. In cardiac auscultation, an examiner may use a stetho ...

or noise inside a body would have to physically place their ear against the body of the person being examined. In 1816, male physician

René Laennec René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laennec (; 17 February 1781 – 13 August 1826) was a French physician and musician. His skill at carving his own wooden flutes led him to invent the stethoscope in 1816, while working at the Hôpital Necker ...

invented the stethoscope as a way to respect the modesty of a female patient, as it would have been awkward for him to put his ear on her chest.

Hospital gowns A hospital gown, sometimes called a johnny gown or johnny, especially in Canada and New England, is "a long loose piece of clothing worn in a hospital by someone doing or having an operation". It can be used as clothing for bedridden patients. Ut ...

increase modesty as compared to the patient presenting nude, but in the past have been odd clothing which exposes the body. Some contemporary changes to the design of hospital gowns are proposed.

Society and culture

In places with more

cultural diversity Cultural diversity is the quality of diverse or different cultures, as opposed to monoculture, the global monoculture, or a homogenization of cultures, akin to cultural evolution. The term "cultural diversity" can also refer to having different cu ...

it becomes more likely that people will make new and different requests for modesty in health care.

Special populations

Sometimes women do not access healthcare because of modesty concerns. Muslims in non-Muslim societies sometimes make requests for modesty.

References

{{reflist

External links

patientmodesty.org/
a United States-based nonprofit organization advocating for modesty Modesty Medical privacy