INDIANAPOLIS — It's hard to see a smile when a person has a face mask on. And hospital patients need to see smiles.
Something is being done about that at IU Health Methodist and Riley Hospital Children.
Staff at the two hospitals have come up with a new way to share a smile during the COVID-19 crisis. They are wearing photo badges with smiling pictures of themselves taped to the outside of their personal protective equipment.
For COVID-19 patients, hospital isolation can be very difficult, and with staff having to cover their faces with masks, seeing a smile can be difficult.
IU Health felt photo badges could help patients feel a personal connection despite the current restrictions. It was a group effort, with occupational therapists from Riley taking on the task to support their colleagues on the adult side.