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 o f humour both between nurses and patients and among nursing staff. Background. Humour has positive effects on both a person's physiology and t he psyche. Laughter signifies positive things to people; it may add to feel ings of togetherness, closeness and friendliness. The use of humour is an i ndication of mental well-being and it minimizes the effect of negative fact ors 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 nurs e-based humour, co-operation-orientated humour and patient-orientated humou r. Humour among staff consisted of the main category of resource-orientated humour. Conclusion. The consequences of humour between nurse and patient enabled th em both to cope with various unpleasant procedures. It helped them to manag e difficult situations and led to an improvement in the working climate. Hu mour among staff helped nurses to cope with their work and created a better atmosphere on the ward.