No one loves a physical exam. Patients aren't alone.
Doctors also have mixed feelings about physical exams.
Too little time, of course. Also, with so many diagnostic tests these days, basic physicals sometimes take a back seat. Finally, there's the issue of reticence. It was fall 1973 when I first noted my own natural reticence and my peers' regarding bodily examination. That's when we second-year medical students donned fresh white coats, packed our doctor bags and marched two by two into hospital rooms.