Current through all regulations passed and filed through September 16, 2024
(A)
Policy
statement
The university of Toledo sports
medicine staff and physicians ("UT sports medicine") is committed to providing
a safe environment for all student athletes and staff. Student athletes are
entitled to have their medical encounters with a medical professional conducted
with appropriate privacy and confidentiality. Student athletes have the right
to ask that a chaperone be present for any medical encounter
including but not limited toevaluations, treatments,
rehabilitation sessions, physician appointments, or any other medically related
encounters they deem appropriate.
(B)
Purpose
This policy is designed to provide a
consistent and safe environment for student athletes to receive care from UT
sports medicine. This policy will respect the patient's dignity and
confidentiality concerns while maintaining the professional nature of the
medical encounter.
(C)
Scope
This policy shall govern in every
medical encounter involving UT sports medicine and student athletes that does
not take place at a location of the university of Toledo medical
center.
(D)
Definitions
(1)
Medical encounter: any evaluation, treatment,
rehabilitation session or physician examination.
(2)
Sensitive examination: any examination that involves
the genitalia, anorectum, or breast tissue of a
student-athlete.
(3)
Medical professional: any athletic trainer, physician,
physical therapist, advanced practice provider (physician assistant, nurse
practitioner, etc.), nurse or medical
assistant.For the purposes of this
chaperone policy, medical professional includes an athletic
trainer.
(4)
Chaperone: medical professional and, for the purposes
of this chaperone policy, any UT sports medicine member, coach, teammate,
parent, guardian, or any other individual consented to by the patient, as
appropriate.
(E)
Guidelines
(1)
Any medical
encounter that involves a sensitive examination should be discussed in full
with the student athlete prior to the start of the medical
encounter.
(2)
Any request made by a student athlete for a chaperone
to be present during a medical encounterwill be
honored.
(3)
A medical professionalmay request a
chaperone be present for any medical encounter. If the student athlete declines
to have a chaperone present after one is requested by the medical professional,
the medical professional will explain the purpose of this policy to the student
athlete. If the
student athlete continues to decline a chaperone, the medical
professional may refuse to proceed with the medical
encounter.
(4)
A chaperone is required for all
sensitive examinations.
(5)
Chaperones are mandatory for all medical encounters
with a student athlete who lacks the capacity to give consent, is a minor, or
is unable to protect himself or herself due to injury or
illness.
(6)
When a sensitive examination is conducted at a UT
sports medicine facility, the preferred chaperone is a member of the UT sports
medicine staff.
(7)
Any of the parties present during a medical encounter
have the ability to stop the medical encounter if they feel the medical
professional's behavior is inappropriate or unacceptable. The individual who
has stopped the medical encounter will immediately report this issue to the
head team physician, the associate athletic director for sports medicine, or
other appropriate university personnel.
(8)
A hotel room
should not serve as the primary location for medical encounters while
ateam is
traveling, unless no other area of the hotel is suitable. If a
medical encounter must occur in a hotel room or other private area,
a
chaperone of the same sex as the student athlete must be present for the
duration of the encounter.
(9)
All requests for
a chaperone must be documented in the student-athlete's medical
record.
(10)
If a chaperone is present during a medical encounter,
the name of the chaperone and their title or role will be documented by the
medical professional in the student athlete's medical record.
(F)
Procedures
(1)
Emergency care should never be impeded by this policy.
(2)
It is the
responsibility of the medical professionalto ensure accurate
documentation is provided in the student athlete's medical record,
which will also include the use or refusal of a chaperone as indicated
above.
(3)
Medical
professionalscontracted to UT
sports medicine who engage in medical encounters with student athletes will be
advised of this policy by the associate athletic director for sports medicine
and adhere to the
guidelines.
(4)
To anonymously report a violation of this policy,
please contact campus police at 419-530-2600, call nine one
one or use the form located at:
https://www.utoledo.edu/depts/police/Anonymous_Reporting.asp
