Audit and exploration of graduating medical students' opportunities to perform digital rectal examinations as part of their learning

There appears to be a trend indicating a decrease in the number of digital rectal examinations (DREs) performed by medical students over the last few decades.1, 2 Reasons why opportunities to practise have fallen include ethical concerns3 and deterrents such as being told not to by medical staff, embarrassment, refusal by patients and lack of a chaperone.