Humour: A purposeful and therapeutic tool in surgical nursing practice

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.

Ngā ariā matua
Tā ngā mahi whakakatakata he tuhono i te tangata, he whakamahana i ngā here. Ahakoa tērā, he mea nui kia mārama ngā tapuhi ko ēhea ngā wā tika mō te whakakatakata, me pēhea hoki e tika ai tōna whakamahinga. He tika kia mārama kē atu te ao ki ngā mahi whakakata i roto i te ao tapuhi, inā hoki, he taupatupatu ngā tohutohu o ngā pukapuka mātanga. Na konei ka hopohopo ngā tapuhi ki te whakakatakata i te tangata, me tō rātou kore e kite i ngā wā e pai ai te whakakata. Tētahi o ngā pūtake matua ko te kore aratohu i takea mai i te taunakitanga mō te whakamahinga whakakatakata a te tapuhi. I whakamahia ētahi tikanga whakaahua kounga hei tūhura he pēhea nga tapuhi rēhita i whakatau ai, i roto i te horopaki poka tinana, i te wa tika hei whakakata i te tangata. I whai wāhi ētahi tapuhi rēhita e iwa e mahi ana i tētahi taiwhanga poka tinana i tētahi hōhipera tuatoru i Aotearoa ki ētahi uiuinga āhua ōkawa, he mahi ā-rōpū ētahi, he takitahi ētahi. I tātaritia ā-kāweitia ngā raraunga i te taha o ngā tāhuhu e toru i te tohu; te whakapūmau i te noho tuwhera; te hanga hononga; me te parenga ki te whakaraerae. I tohu te whakakatakata hei āhuatanga nui i te ao o te tapuhi tiaki tūroro poka tinana; i āta whakamahi mārire i ngā mahi whakakata. He mea arataki ngā whakatau ki te whakamahi i ngā mahi whakakata i runga i ngā tohu mai i ngā tūroro, me te aromatawai ōpaki nā te tapuhi i tīmata.I tahuri ngā tapuhi ki te whakakata i te tangata kia kaha ake ai rātou i raro i pēhitanga ā-kiko, ā-ngākau e whakararu nei i te tangata i te horopaki poka tinana. Tā te whakakatakata he whakawhanaunga atu ki te tangata, me te whakapiki anō o te oranga ngākau i roto i te horopaki poka tinana.

Keywords / Ngā kupu matua
communication / whakawhiti kōrero; humour / whakakatakata; person-centred care / atawhainga aro ki te tangata; qualitative description / whakaahuatanga kounga; surgical nursing / tapuhi poka tinana; therapeutic relationship / whakawhanaungatanga whakaora