Supporting healthcare professionals during Covid-19: Non-verbal communication and arts-based approaches

With the outbreak of Covid-19 healthcare professionals face new challenges to their non-verbal communication, as they adapt to the introduction of widespread use of Personal Protective Equipment, video-call consultations, social distancing and limiting of physical touch. The urgent need for research into this area is clear, demonstrated by proactive requests for help from London hospitals such as UCLH answered by Performing Medicine in the first weeks of the crisis. Through interviews with healthcare professionals and workshops with artists, this project will investigate how arts-based approaches can help to better understand the challenges faced by healthcare professionals during this period and to create, disseminate, and test resources to support them. A collaboration between Performing Medicine, sector leaders in non-verbal approaches to healthcare education, and the Emergency Medicine department at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, this research will use a live case study to gather insights into best practice in this area.