The handshaking habits of hospital doctors before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, health authorities recommended less interpersonal physical contact. Our hypothesis was that hospital doctors greet new patients with a handshake less frequently after the pandemic than before.

Material and method: In January 2024, we undertook a pragmatic cross-sectional survey of a sample of doctors from three different clinics at a large Norwegian hospital. The doctors were asked to report their handshaking habits before and after the pandemic.

Results: A total of 152 hospital doctors took part in the study. Before the pandemic, 143 of these doctors (94 %) greeted outpatients with a handshake, while 115 (76 %) greeted hospitalised patients with a handshake. After the pandemic, these figures had fallen to 35 (23 %) and 33 (22 %) respectively. A total of 139 doctors (86 %) reported that they had changed their greeting habits. Of these, 95 (73 %) had changed their greeting habits for reasons of infection control.

Interpretation: After the pandemic, hospital doctors are less inclined to greet patients with a handshake than before the pandemic.