Humor plays an important role in healthcare even when patients are term...(are unit spending 200 hours observing an...),Health

Her colleague Joanne Major from the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg spent 72 hours in an intensive care unit, observing and carrying out semi-structured interviews with 15 nurses.

Despite major differences between the work of the intensive care and palliative care units, they are both areas where serious illness, high anxiety and patient and family distress are prevalent and staff are placed in emotionally demanding situations says Dr Dean. Crises are frequent, death is close by and emotions tend to run high.

The authors conclude that humour was very important in these stressful healthcare settings.

One member of staff referred to humour as the glue that holds human connections together, a statement that was clearly reinforced by our findings says Dr Dean.

Our research suggests that nurses and other healthcare professional dont need to suppress humour. They should trust their instincts about when it is appropriate.

Combined with scientific skill and compassion, humour offers a humanising dimension in healthcare that is too valuable to be overlooked.

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