During the gynaecological examination, the investigator intrudes on the patient’s personal intimacy more than with any other physical diagnostic examination. Consequently, not only does a command of the examination techniques and skills play a role, but attitude and communication skills are also involved.
Good patient contact will be achieved particularly through your manner of communication and your attitude towards the female patient. It is important to strike the right balance between involvement and desired professional distance. This may differ between situations. Constant attention to this is therefore an absolute necessity. The different aspects of communication will be covered in the section ‘The Gynaecological Examination Skills‘.
As mentioned, a good examination technique remains key and it is therefore important to be competent in the basic examination techniques. You will only become skilful with experience and by frequently carrying out a gynaecological consultation. The skills involved in the gynaecological examination will be described in the section ‘Specific Examinations‘.
Good examination conditions can also help a gynaecological examination to take place in a relaxed manner for both the patient and the physician (or midwife). In this section the examination conditions that contribute to this are covered.