The Southern Medical Journal (SMJ) is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Southern Medical Association. It has a multidisciplinary and inter-professional focus that covers a broad range of topics relevant to physicians and other healthcare specialists.

SMJ // Article

Editorial

The Medical Chaperone: Outdated Anachronism or Modern Necessity?

Authors: C Shawn Tracy, BSc, MSc, Ross E. G. Upshur, MD, MSc, CCFP, FRCPC

Abstract

The word “chaperone” derives figuratively from the French word chaperon meaning “hood” and later a kind of hat. The term was first borrowed into English in the 1700s and came to refer to an “escort,” commonly an older woman who accompanied a young, unmarried woman in public to provide protection. While the use of these social chaperones now seems quaint and has fallen out of practice, the use of medical chaperones has never been more hotly debated—owing, of course, to the increasingly consumerist and litigious nature of healthcare in the 21st century.

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References

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