There is no question that wearing a face mask is now essential to the lives of our healthcare workers. But while PPE devices like N95 masks can offer much needed protection against the virus, it does come with one caveat…
It can turn an otherwise caring doctor or nurse into a seemingly faceless, impersonal robot!
Imagine you’re quarantined in a hospital ward, and the only thing you see all day is a flurry of medics running around in layers of hazmat suits, protective goggles, and face masks.
You know there’s a pair of human eyes in there somewhere. But, behind the reflection of all that plastic, it’s hard to see if there’s actually any life left in there.
It can be a very lonely and scary experience to be so disconnected from these faceless people, especially when you’re not allowed to have any visitors and you’re totally cut off from the world.
Healthcare workers are among the most caring people on the planet, and they don’t want their patients to feel like they’re drowning in cesspool of doom and gloom.
So they’ve come up with an ingenius way to show off the real person behind the mask: name tags.
Yep, that thing we all dread wearing at meetings and conventions now has a new and improved purpose. And it’s spreading like wildfire among essential workers on Instagram!
“Way to go UCSD Respiratory Department. Sharing their smiles.”
Respiratory therapist Robertino Rodriguez (@captain_wolf82) started it all with his giant laminated badge to wear around Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego.
“Yesterday I felt bad for my patients in ER when I would come in the room with my face covered in PPE. 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.”
@PegsForDays, who was inspired by what Rodriguez did, used a Polaroid picture of herself since she didn’t have a printer.
“I didn’t have a preprinted photo or a color printer so my polaroid will have to do. I wanted to bring a personal touch to caring for patients through my PPE. My hope is that our patients will know there’s a reassuring smile under this mask, and that we’re here for them.”
Los Angeles based registered nurse Derek DeVault got his coworkers to join him on all the fun.
“Saw this idea on IG and thought it was a beautiful way to bring ease to our patients during this stressful time. Thank you to all the healthcare workers out there for battling on the frontlines. To all those who are staying home, huge shout out to you! I know that is also not easy.”
Some people are even getting creative with their badges, like this pediatric physician from São Paulo, Brazil.
Instead of a picture of her own face, @ej.manu adopted a Disney princess as her moniker.
Dr. Joseph Varon, Chief of Medicine at Houston’s United Memorial Medical Center, says that facing weeks of isolation can put undue stress on a patient.
Unfortunately, it’s the sort of stress that can affect a person’s will to survive! He told KPRC Houston that hope is everything in these situations:
“I would say that’s 50% of the battle. If I have someone who loses hope, I don’t care how many medications I give him, they’re going to go. So my goal is to avoid losing people to this coronavirus anyway we can.”
Like others who want to inject some personality back into their interactions with patients, Dr. Varon and his staff now tape pictures of themselves to their PPE gear.
“Make them smile. Make your patients smile. they’re going through hell right now. They think they are going to die and many of them may die, so at least be humane, be compassionate.”
Check out the video below to see how putting a name (and Disney princesses) to their face is helping patients feel more connected during these trying times.
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