American Academy of Pediatrics Updates Policy on Use of Chaperones in Clinic Visits

The American Academy of Pediatrics has updated a policy statement that encourages clinicians to develop office chaperone policies that provide a safe and comfortable environment for children and teens during examinations of sensitive areas of the body. The statement, “Use of Chaperones for the Pediatric and Adolescent Encounter,” published in the June 2025 Pediatrics (published May 19 online), suggests that pediatricians remove the burden from the patient of requesting a chaperone but instead, offer an “opt-out” approach. In these cases, a health care provider describes the chaperone’s presence as routine and states that the patient may decline if desired. A chaperone is typically a clinical member of the clinician’s staff, but the statement discusses other choices when use of such a staff member is not possible. Chaperone policies are intended to help patients feel safe and comfortable during clinical visits that may be perceived by the patient as intrusive or uncomfortable, such as inspection or palpation of breasts or genital areas. The policy is consistent with recommendations from other national organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association. Policy statements created by AAP are written by medical experts, reflect the latest evidence in the field, and go through several rounds of peer review before being approved by the AAP Board of Directors and published in Pediatrics.

##

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.