title: Hand to hand.
abstract: Examination of the hands has the potential to transform the encounter between physician and patient. Taking the hands conveys a sense of warmth and connectedness and is a means to communicate the physician's mindfulness. The hands can focus the examination on the individual patient as a complete human being, and not merely a disease or a collection of symptoms. The hands provide readily accessible information that may not be available through other evaluations, and they offer clues to a patient's physical and mental health. Commonplace observations, such as those revealed in the hands, can unravel medical mysteries and provide profound clinical insights.
authors.affiliation: Lown Cardiovascular Center and Harvard Medical School, USA.
authors.forename: Susanna E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Bedell
authors.forename: Thomas B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Graboys
mesh_terms: D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D010808:Physical Examination; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations