In the operating room, doctors don't wear underwear and patients can't wear clothes? The doctor said the reason
"Fan 1: Xiao Jiu, I heard that doctors don't wear underwear during surgery, is that true?"
"Fan 2: I'm about to have an operation, but why are there so many male doctors in the gynecology department? I heard that patients on the operating table don't wear clothes. Wouldn't this be embarrassing?"
Surgery is a serious and rigorous matter, but for most people, surgery is covered with a "secret" veil. Some people say that patients in the operating room will not wear clothes, and doctors will not wear underwear. Is it true or false?
1. Why do surgeons not wear underwear during surgery?
Zeng Weigen, the attending physician of general surgery at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, said that some doctors do not wear underwear during surgery, but this is mainly related to personal habits, departments and hospitals. The reason why I choose not to wear underwear during the operation is more because I am afraid that I will get wet during the operation and that it will not be easy to handle after the operation.
During the operation, the doctor's waist is just at the height of the operating table. If the patient has blood, or has pleural effusion, ascites, etc., these blood and body fluids will wet the doctor's surgical gown, including underwear.
On the one hand, underwear that gets wet during surgery may be at risk of infection. For example, if a patient suffers from infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, syphilis or AIDS, the virus may be transmitted through mucous membranes and skin; on the other hand, it is difficult to clean and requires special cleaning agents and methods.
Therefore, if the underwear is wet during the operation, most doctors will throw the underwear away. If you lose underwear in this way for a long time, the cost is also very high, so doctors will choose not to wear underwear during the operation.
Some people may be curious, why not use waterproof surgical gowns? This is mainly related to cost.
According to the regulations, the cost of surgical gowns for surgery needs to be packaged together with the surgical fee. One operation requires at least 5 sets of surgical gowns including doctors and nurses. The cost of the clothing is 250 yuan, which is much higher than the cost of an ordinary operation (for example, the price of appendectomy is about 560 yuan).
In addition to surgical gowns, hospitals cannot charge for disposable consumables (such as gauze, common sutures and needles, etc.), cleaning and depreciation of surgical instruments, and disposal of medical waste. Therefore, due to cost considerations, most hospitals in China currently use reusable surgical gowns instead of disposable waterproof surgical gowns.
2. Do surgical patients have to strip naked?
Whether the patient needs to undress during surgery depends on the situation.
First, look at the site of the surgery .
If the surgical site is on the upper body, the patient generally only needs to take off the top; if the surgical site is on the abdomen (including the intestines, appendix, etc.), the patient needs to take off the top and the pants to three points above the thigh. a part;
If the surgery site is on the lower body (including knee, ankle, etc.), the patient usually needs to take off all the pants, but not the top.
Secondly, during some operations, an electrocardiogram needs to be performed on the patient to monitor their vital signs. At this time, the patient needs to take off part of the shirt to expose the chest. Some procedures are longer in duration and require the patient to remove their pants for catheterization.
In some surgeries, such as tumor resection and other major surgeries, knee replacement surgeries, and some urology and gynecologic surgeries, doctors need to keep an eye on the changes of the patient's multiple organs and tissues, and the patient needs to take off all the clothes.
Why do you have to undress during surgery? It is mainly related to the following two factors.
First, during the operation, it is necessary to ensure that the environment within the operation area is aseptic as possible, so the disinfection area during the operation also needs to be as large as possible. According to relevant regulations, the scope of surgical disinfection is to expand outward to more than 15 cm from the center of the incision.
Second, during the operation, the doctor may need to extend the surgical incision according to the specific situation.
Although patients take off their clothes before surgery, there is no need to worry too much about exposing their bodies during the surgery.
Because after the disinfection, the doctor will use a sterile drape to cover the surrounding area of the operation, exposing only the part of the surgical incision. And after surgery, nurses usually help patients put on clothes. For patients with large wounds, difficult to move limbs, and patients who have not woken up after anesthesia, nurses will cover them with a quilt first, and then the patients or their family members will help them get dressed according to the doctor's instructions.
3. Why are there male doctors in gynecology? Can I ask for a replacement?
Many female patients will be very worried or afraid when they see a male doctor doing gynecological examinations or operations for them.
In fact, male obstetricians are quite common, and many of the top obstetricians are men . On the one hand, the obstetrics and gynecology department is very demanding on physical strength , and needs to see hundreds of patients every day, and male doctors usually have better physical strength. On the other hand, compared with female doctors, young male doctors can withstand more pressure in the first two or three years of employment, and this pressure can make them cherish and pay more attention to each consultation opportunity, so as to obtain the patient's satisfaction. trust.
Yuan Zhong, deputy director of the Humanities and Medicine Professional Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, said that the gender of doctors is not the core. In fact, people are worried that they will be harmed in departments that involve privacy and require ethical constraints.
In order to alleviate the embarrassment or worry of female patients, hospitals and departments usually arrange for female medical staff or patients' family members to be present when male doctors examine the private parts of female patients. If the patient is still very concerned, it can also be replaced by a female doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
**In fact, many women are resistant to gynecological examinations, not just gender issues.
From the perspective of women, gynecological examination is a kind of psychological and physical torture for patients. According to the "Research Report on Reproductive Health of Women of Childbearing Age in China 2022" , 71% of women will have gynecological symptoms, and only 57.5% of women will choose to seek medical treatment. After gynecological symptoms, 39.3% of women would choose to self-medicate, and 19.4% of women would choose not to deal with it.
Under the influence of traditional thinking, women are burdened with huge invisible moral pressure in the whole process from seeing gynecology to gynecological examination. Moreover, many women believe that gynecological examinations will bring intense discomfort and pain to the body, resulting in fear and anxiety, and are reluctant to go for gynecological examinations.
From the doctor's point of view, on the one hand, in addition to the different professional qualities of each doctor, on the other hand, the gynecologist's work intensity and attitude towards gynecological examinations will also affect the experience of gynecological consultation.
The obstetrics and gynecology department receives many patients every day. Under the circumstances of heavy workload and tight time, it is difficult for doctors to maintain an optimal state when facing patients. When doctors are in different states, patients get Feedback will also be different.
In addition, doctors usually focus on treatment when seeing a doctor, and tend to ignore the emotional problems of patients, which is also one of the reasons for the poor experience of patients.
Improving the psychological care for gynecological outpatients is an urgent issue.
References:
[1] I heard that doctors don't wear underwear when they do surgery? Surgeons can't tell if they are suffering. Medical Forum Network, 2020-07-15
[2] Embarrassing! Why do you have to take off your clothes and pants during surgery? The real purpose is actually... . Popular Science China, 2020-06-12
[3] [Viewpoint] Male obstetricians and gynecologists have more advantages. Physician's Daily, 2014-05-02
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