The Disappearance of Empathetic Touch in Medicine

Alexa B. Kimball, MD, MPH, president and CEO of Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians, discusses empathetic and healing touch in medicine in a recent opinion piece in STAT. She writes:

“As a physician, I was taught to appreciate the clinical importance of human touch for our physical and mental health. As a human being, I worry about its loss. And as a dermatologist, I know what that loss may mean for the loneliest and most vulnerable among us.”

She refences the science behind the importance of a healing human touch to our physical and mental well-being, including the release of oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin and reducing stress hormones. Empathetic touch during medical exams is especially important for her psoriasis patients. A chronic, non-contagious skin condition, psoriasis has been misunderstood, leading to stigma and fear.

To mitigate the lack of touch because of technology and the pandemic, she calls on physicians and other caregivers to find ways to ask what patients need for healing and connection. And not to lose sight of the value of healing touch. Read the full article here.

Alexa B. Kimball, MD, MPH practices dermatology at BIDMC.