Should Doctors Hug Their Patients?

The physician/patient relationship is intrinsically intimate. During the course of clinical exams, doctors may touch and palpate their patients, ask sensitive personal questions, and sometimes present them with gut-wrenching news. Despite all of that—or perhaps because of it—doctors still debate a simple question.

Is it okay to hug your patients? The answer: It depends.

Given recent months’ numerous accusations leveled at prominent people for alleged sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior, there is a new tone affecting personal interactions. While instances of assault are pretty clear, it’s important to note that behavior which one person considers innocent could be distressing to someone else. More self-scrutiny is required now than in the past.Doctors care about their patients. A hug is a fundamental physical expression of caring. Ergo it can be appropriate to offer a hug.

That's the opinion of Dr Lucy Hornstein, a family physician in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania."How much more viscerally and subliminally can you express that you care about someone?" asks Dr Hornstein. "You can say, 'I care about you,' and touch them on the arm or shake their hand, but that's not the same as putting your arms around someone. It's the most primal way of expressing care."