Photo: CTV News

A speech language pathologist has started a trend to help healthcare workers connect with their patients, by attaching a selfie of them smiling to their scrubs.

Gail Gumprich came up with the idea after realizing not being able to see her face through protective gear could make the hospital experience more daunting for patients, reports CTV News Vancouver.

Gumprich, who works in the intensive care unit at St Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, told CTV being in a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic can be a scary and isolating experience for patients. 

"We wear masks and goggles and scrubs in all the units, even when we're not seeing patients.

"People's spirits are not wonderful when they're sick at the best of times and then to have your loved ones not be able to come in, it's pretty hard."

But she's noticed a significant different with some of her patients since attaching the selfie of her smiling face to her scrubs.

"When I walked up to one of my patients who I'd seen several times, but of course she'd never seen my face … she looked at the photo and she smiled and I had never seen her smile and her whole demeanour kind of changed. She seemed a bit more at ease."

Gumprich says it will take time to bring her colleagues on board with the project, but many are joining in to help patients feel more comfortable - and there's a benefit to that, too. 

"I can't even recognize my colleagues so there's a side bonus of us being able to recognize each other.

"We're all in it together and we're all supporting each other."

- with files from CTV News Vancouver