Touch is a sensitive thing. No pun is intended here, but whether and how we touch our patients deserves our careful thought and deliberation.

So much interpersonal contact these days is virtual, with emojis, abbreviations and whole words thrown around as substitutes for human contact. Think :-), XOXO and ‘Hugs and kisses’.

And when people do touch in our healthcare environment it is often with gloves, even for simple fingerstick blood sugars, immunisations or routine ambulance transports.

Shaking hands when you meet a patient for the first time is not standard procedure by any means. I wonder if it shouldn’t be. There’s a lot of cultural history behind such a simple gesture.