Your rights in the gynaecology exam room

What the evidence says

Professional guidance for doctors states your standing rights. Consent is ongoing, not a signature: you may ask at any point for an examination to stop, and the doctor must stop when asked. You may ask for a chaperone, and you may ask why the examination is needed and what the alternatives are, including doing nothing, before agreeing.

UK guidance for doctors on intimate examinations: you can ask at any time for the examination to stop, and the doctor must stop; you can have a chaperone, an impartial observer who is usually a trained health professional (a relative or friend would not usually be a suitable chaperone); and if you are uncomfortable with a particular chaperone, the examination can be put off, as long as the delay would not harm your health. Guidance on consent says you have the right to be involved in decisions about your care, and that the alternatives include taking no action. A prompt to carry into any consultation is BRAN: what are the Benefits, the Risks, the Alternatives, and what happens if we do Nothing. Some NHS services add an I, for your own Instinct. Asking these is normal, expected, and not rude.

What this does not show

This states your rights in a consultation. It does not judge any particular clinician, and it never tells you whether what happened to you was wrong; that judgement is yours, with support beyond this app if you want it. The guidance is from the UK, written for doctors, and the exact chaperone arrangements differ by country and setting, so your clinic's policy may name things differently. If a clinician has harmed you, your rights in the room are not the whole of it: reporting routes and support exist, and a clinician, patient advocate or local health authority can name them. BRAN comes from UK professional and NHS sources; the extra I, for Instinct, is used by some NHS services rather than coming from one official source.

Sources, as Neta holds them

1. General Medical Council. Intimate examinations and chaperones. London: GMC; 2024 (in effect from 30 January 2024; updated 13 December 2024). https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/the-professional-standards/intimate-examinations-and-chaperones/intimate-examinations-and-chaperones

   Guideline synthesis

2. General Medical Council. Decision making and consent. London: GMC; 2020 (in effect from 9 November 2020). https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/the-professional-standards/decision-making-and-consent/the-seven-principles-of-decision-making-and-consent

   Guideline synthesis

3. Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. Choosing Wisely UK: patient poster (BRAN: Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, do Nothing). London: AoMRC. https://aomrc.org.uk/publication/choosing-wisely-patient-poster

   Guideline synthesis

4. NHS Scotland Right Decision Service, Realistic Medicine. BRAN: helping patients ask the right questions. Last reviewed 31 March 2023. https://rightdecisions.scot.nhs.uk/realistic-medicine-national-toolkit-for-professionals/quick-access-to-patient-care-resources/bran-helping-patients-ask-the-right-questions

   Guideline synthesis

5. Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Shared decision-making (maternity). https://sfh-tr.nhs.uk/services/maternity/your-guide-to-maternity-care-kings-mill-hospital/shared-decision-making/

   Guideline synthesis