BACKGROUND This study was undertaken to determine the preference of patients concerning the presence of a chaperone during physical examination of the breasts, genitals, rectum, heart and lungs, or abdomen. The study was designed to quantify preference differences between male and female patients and between teenagers and adults, and to determine whether the sex of the examining physician influenced chaperone preference. METHODS Preference survey data were obtained from 251 female subjects and 201 male subjects over the age of 13 years who visited a family practice center in a midwestern urban community. RESULTS The majority of patients of either sex and all ages did not care if a chaperone was present. However, substantial proportions of adult women (29%) and female teenagers (46%) preferred that a chaperone be present during a breast, pelvic, or rectal examination by a male physician. Thirty-six percent of adult women and 63% of female teenagers wanted a chaperone present during a first examination of these regions. Adults of both sexes felt the nurse would be the best chaperone, whereas teenagers ranked a parent first and the nurse second. Patients indicated that they felt comfortable asking for a chaperone. CONCLUSIONS Although most patients have no strong preference, female patients, especially female teenagers, should be given the option of having a chaperone present during an examination of the breasts, pelvis, or rectum by a male physician.