Humour: A purposeful and therapeutic tool in surgical nursing practice.

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    • Alternate Title:
      Te Whakakatakata: He taputapu hāngai, whakaora tangata i ngā mahi tapuhi tiaki tūroro. (Maori)
    • Abstract:
      Humour builds rapport and establishes relationships. However, nurses need to understand when the use of humour is appropriate, and how it can be beneficial in practice. Greater understanding of humour use within nursing is needed as literature offers contradictory advice. Therefore, nurses may be hesitant to deploy humour, potentially missing opportunities to deliver more effective care. A key driver for this study was the lack of evidence-based guidance about nurse humour use. A qualitative descriptive methodology was used to explore how registered nurses working in a surgical environment determine when and how to use humour with patients. Nine registered nurses working in a surgical ward within a tertiary hospital in Aotearoa New Zealand participated in group or individual semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed thematically with three themes identified: assessing openness; building a connection; and protection against vulnerability. Humour was identified as a significant feature of surgical nursing practice; nurses used humour purposefully and with careful consideration. Decisions to use humour in practice were guided by patient cues and informal nurse-initiated assessment. Nurses used humour to connect quickly with patients to address perceived physical and emotional stressors inherent in the surgical environment. Humour enables nurses to establish therapeutic relationships in the surgical context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
    • Abstract:
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