'Is he a friend? Or like a member of our family? 'It sends a very mixed message to the family or to patients about how their relationship with the physician is supposed to go,' Banja suggests.

'I absolutely don't think that physicians, as a rule, should get into the habit of hugging their patients,' says Emory University ethicist John Banja, PhD.īanja says how a hug between clinician and patient is perceived depends heavily on the context in which it's given and received.īecause most physicians perform physical interventions that involve the physical examination and manipulation of intimate body parts (i.e., rectal, pelvic, or breast exams), Banja says a hug or other social form of touching (hand-holding, back-patting) could be confusing. In fact, every major religion includes touch in sacramental or less official demonstrations of healing, such as laying on of hands and anointing, or the 'kiss of peace' - usually without the actual kiss but including hugging and/or handshaking.'īut Guss, along with other ethicists and clinicians who spoke with Medical Ethics Advisor, says that in modern society, a touch or a hug can mean many things - and not all of them are considered welcome or helpful. 'The most powerful and often most meaningful way of caring includes physical demonstrations, hand-holding, a hug, etc. Vincent Guss Jr., MDiv, a pastoral care and bioethics consultant in Alexandria, VA. 'I believe that healing, from a holistic perspective, has everything to do with caring,' says J. Throughout the history of medicine, hands-on touch has been employed to administer comfort and, in some practices, to heal outright.īut is there a place in today's medicine for a comforting, empathetic hug between patients and physicians? Or do privacy issues, professional decorum, and lawsuits make non-clinical physical contact a no-no? Providers and patients agree the value of the human element in the delivery of health care and the caring relationship between physician and patient cannot be overestimated. Have you hugged a patient today? Whether your answer is yes or no, there will be disagreement about the wisdom of your choice.

Doctor-patient hugs: Is non-clinical touch a line you should cross?Įthicists split on propriety of platonic hugs between patients and clinicians

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