TY - JOUR T1 - Losing Touch in the Era of Superbugs? JF - The Annals of Family Medicine JO - Ann Fam Med SP - 461 LP - 463 DO - 10.1370/afm.1164 VL - 8 IS - 5 AU - Leif Hass Y1 - 2010/09/01 UR - http://www.annfammed.org/content/8/5/461.abstract N2 - Nosocomial infections are increasingly multidrug resistant and at times more virulent. As such, they pose real threats to patients and clinicians. In this essay the author discusses his own methacillin-resistant staphylococcus infection and how it has affected his work in the hospital. In so doing, he reflects on the value of touch in the doctor-patient relationship. In particular, he discusses how gloves serve as a barrier to infection but also create a small distance between the doctors and their patients. The implications of contact precautions must be considered as we reflect on balancing patient-centered care with infection control. ER -