Healthcare workers wear smiling photos of themselves to ease patients with Covid-19

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of infected patients were being hospitalized throughout the world. And they were being treated by healthcare workers wearing full protective gear, including masks, protective shields and hoods. And not being able to see their physician’s faces was not contributing to keep patients relaxed and at ease.

This is exactly what Robertino Rodrigues, a respiratory therapist from the USA, realized: "Yesterday I felt bad for my patients in ER when I would come in the room with my face covered in PPE"

So, he decided to pin a laminated photo of himself smiling on top of his hospital gown. "A reassuring smile makes a big difference to a scared patient. So today I made a giant laminated badge for my PPE. So my patients can see a reassuring and comforting smile."

He shared his idea on an Instagram post and, soon, many other healthcare workers started following his example. All, in the hope of improving the experience of those patients battling this disease.