Do I need to use a face mask like the ones I see doctors and nurses wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic?

No. In order to preserve supplies of face masks certified for use by health care workers, the directives require only that you cover your face.

What should healthcare workers do if they develop symptoms of COVID-19?

HCWs who develop symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 (e.g., fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of smell or taste, sore throat) should stay home and not perform triage or any other duties at the healthcare facility.

Is it OK to hug patients?

A hug is much more informal compared to the handshake, which results in a slippery slope. As health care providers who need to be objective, it is important to maintain some boundaries that maintain the doctor-patient relationship (add any healthcare provider you want to in place of doctor). Hugging patients blurs those boundaries.

Is it sexual harassment to hug a health care provider?

This can raise concerns of sexual harassment as the person can claim that the touch was unwelcome. This is more likely to occur if the health care provider initiates the hug. It is more likely to occur when the hugger is a male health care provider and the recipient is a woman or a child.

What is the difference between a hug and a handshake?

A hug is much more informal compared to the handshake, which results in a slippery slope. As health care providers who need to be objective, it is important to maintain some boundaries that maintain the doctor-patient relationship (add any healthcare provider you want to in place of doctor).

Is physician touch an important part of patient interaction?

He believes that physician touch is an important part of the therapeutic interaction and he lectures his doctors on this topic. During training, I often witnessed him leaning over a dying patient to hug them, say goodbye, and give them a kiss on the forehead and hug the family members as well.