Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 20, 2026

E-Patient Counseling Trial E-PACO: Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
Published on: August 1, 2019
Humor intervention in the nurse-patient interaction
Luis Manuel Mota Sousa1, Cristina Maria Alves Marques-Vieira2, Ana Vanessa Antunes3
1Universidade de Évora. Évora, Portugal.
Objective:
To describe the factors influencing the use of humor in nursing care, its applicability and benefits.
Method:
A scoping review was performed using the Arksey and O'Mally methodology. A search for articles published between 2008 and 2018 was performed using the platforms EBSCO Host, Virtual Health Library and Google Scholar.
Results:
From the initial 465 articles found, 17 were included for final revision. Data allowed to retrieve information on humor definition; its applicability as a nursing intervention; humor as a tool to improve nurse-patient communication and relationship; influence factors; type of humor interventions; humor benefits in health care context and; limitations and precautions of humor intervention.
Conclusion:
The use of humor promotes both communication and human interaction; it promotes well-being; helps deal/cope with difficult and unpleasant situations, reduces tension, discomfort and stress; and strengthens the immune system. This intervention should be used with caution.
Related Concept Videos
Nursing Interventions I: Taxonomy of Nursing Interventions
A nursing intervention is a treatment or action based on scientific concepts and knowledge from the nursing, behavioral, and physical sciences. Identifying and prioritizing nursing interventions based on the desired outcome...
Nursing Interventions II: Selecting and Classifying the Nursing Interventions
Heart Failure VII: Nursing Interventions
Humoral Immune Responses
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching II: Planning and Implementation
Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching I: Assessment and Diagnosis
It is critical to determine the patient's learning needs during the assessment. Determination of learning needs compounds data...

