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In-depth topic course

Chaperones and Intimate Examinations: Safe Practice and Board Conditions

Consent, Dignity, Documentation and Working Under a Chaperone Condition

  • 3 CPD hoursEstimated learning time
  • 20-question assessmentPass mark 80%
  • Online, self-pacedStart any time
  • CertificateFor your CPD records

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About this course

Intimate and sensitive examinations ask more trust of patients than almost anything else in health care. A breast, pelvic, rectal or genital examination, a pelvic floor assessment, a full skin check or even a groin palpation can leave a patient distressed if the reason was not explained, consent was assumed, privacy was rushed or no-one else was present. Most concerns that reach regulators about intimate examinations start with exactly these gaps, not with deliberate misconduct, which means they can be prevented with clear, consistent practice.

This course gives you that practice. It shows you how to explain and consent for intimate examinations, keep consent active, offer and brief a chaperone, protect dignity, work in a trauma-informed and culturally safe way, handle telehealth and intimate images, and document everything that matters. It also explains how National Boards now use chaperone, gender-based and other patient-contact restrictions since the 2017 independent review, and what working under one involves day to day, so practitioners, employers and colleagues know what compliance really requires.

Who this course is for

  • General practitioners, emergency doctors and specialists who perform breast, pelvic, rectal or genital examinations
  • Nurses, nurse practitioners and midwives in sexual health, women's health, maternity and primary care
  • Pelvic health physiotherapists and other practitioners whose assessments involve sensitive areas
  • Osteopaths, chiropractors and medical radiation practitioners who position, gown or examine patients
  • Practice managers and clinical leads writing chaperone policies and training staff
  • Practitioners, employers and senior colleagues working with a restriction on a practitioner's registration

What you’ll learn

  • Consent that holds up

    Explain intimate examinations clearly, obtain and maintain consent, and handle capacity, young people, students and anaesthetised patients correctly.

  • Chaperones used well

    Offer chaperones routinely in neutral words, choose and brief the right person, and know what to do when a patient declines or none is available.

  • Dignity and records

    Protect privacy and dignity, practise trauma-informed and culturally safe care, and document examinations so the record speaks for you.

  • Restrictions understood

    Explain how chaperone and patient-contact restrictions work today, set up compliant systems, talk honestly with patients and report breaches properly.

Learning objectives

  • Recognise which examinations patients may experience as intimate or sensitive.
  • Obtain informed, ongoing consent for intimate examinations, including for people lacking capacity and young people.
  • Offer chaperones routinely and choose and brief appropriate chaperones.
  • Conduct examinations that protect privacy and dignity and avoid misunderstanding.
  • Apply trauma-informed and culturally safe approaches to intimate examinations.
  • Document intimate examinations, consent and chaperone arrangements accurately.
  • Explain how Boards use chaperone, gender-based and other patient-contact restrictions since 2017.
  • Comply reliably and honestly with a restriction and seek appropriate advice and support.

Scenarios covered

Practice situations you reason through, step by step, in the course.

  • The quick look down below

    An emergency doctor begins a rectal examination after a vague explanation. You will see how unclear language undermines consent and practise a plain-language alternative.

  • The silent patient

    A patient goes quiet and tense mid-examination without saying stop. You will learn to recognise non-verbal withdrawal of consent and respond.

  • Practice on the anaesthetised patient

    Students are invited to perform a pelvic examination on a patient who only consented to surgery. You will apply the rule on explicit consent.

  • The receptionist behind the curtain

    A chaperone who cannot see anything is not a safeguard. You will learn how to choose, position and brief a chaperone.

  • Can a nurse be present instead?

    A practitioner with a gender-based restriction is asked to see a restricted patient with a nurse present. You will see why the answer depends on the exact restriction wording.

  • The weekend booking

    A receptionist unaware of a restriction books a restricted patient. You will build the induction, booking and roster systems that prevent breaches.

Course contents

7 sections, 29 lessons, then the final assessment.

  1. Section 1: Intimate and Sensitive Examinations4 lessons
    • 1.1 What Counts as an Intimate Examination
    • 1.2 Why These Examinations Need Particular Care
    • 1.3 The Professional Framework
    • 1.4 Intimate Examinations Across the Professions
  2. Section 2: Consent for Intimate Examinations4 lessons
    • 2.1 Explaining the Need and the Process
    • 2.2 Keeping Consent Active During the Examination
    • 2.3 Capacity, Children and Young People
    • 2.4 Students, Observers and Patients Under Anaesthesia
  3. Section 3: Chaperones in Routine Practice4 lessons
    • 3.1 What a Chaperone Is For, and What It Is Not
    • 3.2 Offering a Chaperone
    • 3.3 Who Should Act as a Chaperone
    • 3.4 When the Patient Declines, Prefers a Support Person, or No Chaperone Is Available
  4. Section 4: Conducting the Examination with Dignity4 lessons
    • 4.1 Privacy, Undressing and Covering
    • 4.2 Communication During the Examination
    • 4.3 Trauma-Informed and Culturally Safe Practice
    • 4.4 Telehealth, Photographs and Intimate Images
  5. Section 5: Documentation and Practice Systems5 lessons
    • 5.1 What to Record
    • 5.2 Practice Systems That Support Safe Examinations
    • 5.3 When a Patient or Chaperone Raises a Concern
    • 5.4 Where Mandatory Notification Fits
    • 5.5 Learning From Concerns and Auditing Practice
  6. Section 6: Chaperone Conditions and Other Board Restrictions4 lessons
    • 6.1 Why Boards Restrict a Practitioner's Contact with Patients
    • 6.2 The Independent Review of Chaperones and What Changed
    • 6.3 What Chaperone and Patient-Contact Restrictions Typically Require
    • 6.4 The Public Register, Co-Regulatory States and Review of Restrictions
  7. Section 7: Working Under a Restriction Day to Day4 lessons
    • 7.1 Setting Up Your Practice for Compliance
    • 7.2 Talking with Patients About a Restriction
    • 7.3 Logs, Reports, Audits and Breaches
    • 7.4 Your Wellbeing, Advice and Planning Ahead
  8. Final assessment and written reflection20 questions

Assessment and certificate

  1. Work through the course

    Study each section at your own pace, including the case illustrations and apply-it questions.

  2. Pass the assessment

    20 scenario-based questions. You need 16 correct (80%) to pass.

  3. Write your reflection

    A short written reflection on how the learning applies to your own practice.

  4. Download your certificate

    Shows your name, the course, the date and 3 CPD hours. Anyone can check it on our verification page.

What you keep for your CPD records

  • A certificate of completion recording approximately 3 CPD hours of learning for your CPD portfolio
  • Your written reflective account on your own examination, consent and chaperone practice
  • A one-page quick-reference checklist for before, during and after intimate examinations
  • Model phrases for explaining examinations, offering chaperones and responding to concerns

How certificates and CPD records workVerify a certificate

Primary sources

The course is built on these official documents. Check them for the current version.

Questions about this course

Does Ahpra accredit or approve this course?

No. This is independent education; it is not accredited, not approved and not endorsed by Ahpra, any National Board or any professional body. Under the CPD registration standards you decide whether it fits your CPD plan and record the actual time you spend, keeping your certificate and reflection.

Will this course satisfy a chaperone condition or other restriction?

No course can do that by itself. If you have a condition, undertaking or other restriction, confirm with Ahpra or your Board, and your lawyer or medical defence organisation, whether any particular course is acceptable before you enrol, and follow the exact wording of your restriction.

Do I have to offer a chaperone for every intimate examination?

Offering a chaperone routinely for intimate examinations is widely regarded as good practice and is what Board guidance and most local policies support. The patient may decline. The course shows how to make the offer neutrally and how to record it.

Does Ahpra still impose chaperone conditions?

Since the 2017 independent review, chaperone conditions are used only in exceptional circumstances, and gender-based and other patient-contact restrictions are more common. Older chaperone conditions can still apply under the protocol in force when they were imposed.

Can a family member act as a chaperone?

A family member or friend can be a valuable support person but is not a substitute for a trained, independent chaperone who understands the examination. The course explains who is suitable and how to brief them.

Is this course only for doctors?

No. It is written for every registered practitioner who performs intimate or sensitive examinations, including nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors and medical radiation practitioners, and for managers who support them.

What should I document after an intimate examination?

At a minimum: the clinical reason, what you explained, consent, the chaperone offer and the chaperone's name if present, others present, findings, and any distress or withdrawal of consent. The course includes a model entry and checklist.

How long does it take?

About 3 hours including reading, scenarios, a written reflection and a 20-question scenario-based assessment with an 80% pass mark. Record the time you actually spend.

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