Humour between nurse and patient, and among staff:: analysis of nurses' diaries

Aim of the study. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of humour both between nurses and patients and among nursing staff. Background. Humour has positive effects on both a person's physiology and the psyche. Laughter signifies positive things to people; it may add to feelings of togetherness, closeness and friendliness. The use of humour is an indication of mental well-being and it minimizes the effect of negative factors and protects from difficulties. Methods. The data consisted of diaries written by nurses (n=16), which were analysed inductively using content analysis. Findings. The main categories of humour between nurse and patient were nurse-based humour, co-operation-orientated humour and patient-orientated humour. Humour among staff consisted of the main category of resource-orientated humour. Conclusion. The consequences of humour between nurse and patient enabled them both to cope with various unpleasant procedures. It helped them to manage difficult situations and led to an improvement in the working climate. Humour among staff helped nurses to cope with their work and created a better atmosphere on the ward.