You should do whatever you can to protect patients' modesty and dignity. Many patients value modesty. Think about how you would feel if you had to strip naked in front of a bunch of people. Listen to patients' concerns about modesty carefully and work hard to meet their wishes. Many people don't feel comfortable having certain parts of their body exposed to the opposite sex except for spouse. They are not crazy. Many people would not be comfortable using public restrooms with people of the opposite sex.
If a male patient requests an all male medical team for surgery, please work hard to accommodate his wish. If you see that this is not possible, please consider rescheduling the surgery to another date when you can be assured of an all male medical team. You can check with the hospital where the surgery will take place. We understand that sometimes there are not enough male nurses. You should allow the patient to wear as much as she/he can. For example, there's no reason for her/him to take her/his underwear off for many types of surgeries. One man had a wrist reconstruction surgery with his pants left on.
For intimate exams or procedures in doctor's office, we encourage you to ask the patient who he/she wants to be able to come in the room. It would be a good idea to put up a sign on the door that says "Don't Disturb" because sometimes nurses and assistants will enter rooms thinking it is okay.
If a female patient requests an all female medical team for surgery, please work hard to accommodate her wish. If you see that this is not possible, please consider rescheduling the surgery to another date when you can be assured of an all female medical team. You can check with the hospital where the surgery will take place. We understand that sometimes there are not many female anesthesiologists. We encourage you to let spouses in room during intimate procedures if the spouse wishes. Patients often seek doctors who are sensitive to their needs. If patients see that you are sensitive to their needs for modesty, they will come back to you and recommend you to family members and friends. Doctors sensitive to patient modesty are in demand. Many men seek male urologists that employ male nurses.
