Strategies to sustain emotional communication within the medical team in the presence of face masks

Abstract

Facial recognition is an important aspect of human communication, facilitating the transfer of nuanced emotional information. While the ubiquitous adoption of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 to 2023) was essential in the fight to curb viral transmission, there may have been unintended consequences for human interaction, including miscommunication and misinterpreted emotions. Although in 2025 there are no longer universal mask mandates in clinical and educational settings, it is an opportune time for teaching physicians to reflect on lessons learned and to strengthen their communication skills going forward. After all, masks are still required in certain clinical situations, and there may come another time when physicians are required, for the safety of their patients, their learners, and themselves, to don masks regularly. In this article, the authors review the basic neuroscience underpinning face processing and how this neural network can become disrupted, resulting in face blindness. They also discuss current evidence on how face masks might interfere with emotional state identification. Finally, the authors explore ways to enhance communication and avoid miscommunication within the medical team – whether masks are being worn, or not.