Humor During Clinical Practice: Analysis of Recorded Clinical Encounters

Conclusion:
Humor is used commonly during counseling to discuss the patient's medical condition and to relate to general life events bringing warmth to the medical encounter. The timing and topic of humor and its use by all parties suggests humor plays a role in the social connection between patients and physicians and allows easier discussion of difficult topics. Further research is necessary to establish its impact on clinicians, patients, and outcomes.

Source: Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine - March 13, 2018 Category: Primary Care Authors: Phillips, K. A., Singh Ospina, N., Rodriguez-Gutierrez, R., Castaneda-Guarderas, A., Gionfriddo, M. R., Branda, M., Montori, V. Tags: Original Research Source Type: research