By Tammie Bullard

Its a common phrase, that laughter is the best medicine, and EMS providers are well known for making it integral to prehospital care.

In the right context, laughter does provide evidence-based health benefits. Its been the subject of medical consideration for centuries, formal research for over 60 years and even cited as a cure for the famed Norman Cousins case during the 1960s [1-3].

Long-term physical and mental health gains for patients and paramedics are innumerable. With a focus on its more immediate, short-term benefits, it comes as no surprise that we are heavily reliant on humor within the emergency medicine environment.

Humor can elicit the following physical benefits [2-7]:

Humor also has the following positive effects on mental health [2-6]:

The beauty of this freely available, rapid-acting elixir lies within its universal language. Humans are naturally hardwired to laugh, so it is easily recognizable despite barriers of dialect, disability or environment [3,4].

So, with its limited adverse effects and minimal contraindications, why exercise caution in the administration of humor [2]?

Misuse in the healthcare setting can have devastating and long-lasting consequences. Patients and their loved ones may feel confused, embarrassed, ridiculed, dismissed and hurt by misdirected or misconstrued attempts to ease stress or tension, making them fearful of similar encounters [8]. Such reluctance to call for an ambulance has disastrous repercussions in terms of risk to future physical and mental health.

Also, with communication, behavior and attitude cited as the cause of more healthcare complaints than clinical treatment, we have a personal vested interest in avoiding offense through poor delivery or direction of humor [8-11].

So, how do we decide when to crack the comedy vial and when to dispose of its unused contents?

With its heat of the moment nature and the subsequent need to defuse high tension on scene, prehospital care can benefit through smart use of considered comedy [6]. The secret lies in maintaining compassion and exercising emotional intelligence to deliver it appropriately [8].

If we opt to include humor within our skillset, we must make it our duty to stay sharp in knowing when to use it and why.

Read next: Getting rid of the gallows humor in EMS

Tammie Bullard is a paramedic, educator and author of The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Paramedic, a reflective practice text for prehospital care providers. She is passionate about best patient care and paramedic professionalism. Connect with her through LinkedIn or by visiting http://www.gbuparamedic.com.

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Laughter may be the best medicine, but only if we titrate it to effect - EMS1.com