Nurses' perceptions of the use of humour in emergency nursing

Abstract

Humour is an indirect form of communication (Robinson, 1991 ), which is considered an integral part of human interaction and therefore could be an essential part of nursing care provision (Astedt-Kurki, Isola, Tarnmentie, and Kervien, 2001). This qualitative study was conducted in the accident and emergency department (A&E) of a large general hospital in Malta, with the purpose of exploring emergency nurses perceptions about the value and use of humour in the A&E. Additionally it sought to understand whether nurses believe they use humour, and why and in which instances and whether they find humour effective or ineffective when caring for patients and relatives and communicating with other members of staff. 12 nurses working in the A&E were interviewed and the data was transcribed and analysed using Coliazzi's method.The findings indicate that humour is a useful coping strategy for both nurses and patients in the A&E. Humour appears to be an effective communication tool which helps in the development of relationships, helps to improve the working atmosphere and aids teamwork. These factors all seem to help in decreasing the stress of a nurse which in turn increases the motivation and job satisfaction. These findings are similar to those achieved by other authors (Thomton and White, 1999; Beck, 1997; Astedt-Kurki and Liukkonen, 1994). The use of humour seems to depend upon certain determinant factors, namely characters, moods, the situation, the experience of a nurse, the responsibility and the environment. Parallel to Thomton and White (1999) the findings of this study suggest that when humour is used appropriately it can have very positive effects, however if humour is used inappropriately it may be very damaging. It appears The results of the study point to the fact that nurses lack proper coping mechanisms to cope with the high occupational stress they are subjected to in the A&E. It is recommended that nurses should be taught effective coping mechanisms, and debriefing sessions should be introduced after critical incidents. Postgraduate and undergraduate nurses should be educated about the proper uses of humour and its benefits. The researcher also recommends that further large scale studies are carried out about the use of humour in the A&E and other healthcare settings.