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The Effects of Humor in Clinical Settings on Medical Trainees and the Implications for Medical Educators: A Scoping Review

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Abstract

Background

Clinical settings represent the site of patient care and clinical training for medical students and residents. Both processes involve social interaction, and humor is a fundamental component of social interaction that remains underexplored in medical education. This study investigated the impact of humor on medical trainees in the context of the clinical learning environment and examined the implications for medical educators.

Methods

Following scoping review methodology, the authors systematically searched six databases and Google Scholar in February 2021 and March 2022. Articles were screened and selected according to inclusion/exclusion criteria, and findings from included articles were synthesized using procedures of metasynthesis.

Results

Fifteen articles met inclusion criteria. Six themes emerged relating to the functions and effects of humor in clinical training settings: (1) managing emotions; (2) demarcating insider vs outsider status; (3) facilitating camaraderie; (4) ensuring conformity; (5) negotiating power differentials; and (6) fostering discrimination.

Conclusions

The use of humor by medical educators plays an integral role in trainees’ everyday experiences. Positive humor helps with coping and communication, while negative humor serves as an indirect medium for communicating ridicule and prejudice. Further research drawing on social psychology theories may identify ways to reduce effects of negative humor and promote well-being and diversity in medical education.

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Data Availability

The scoping review data has been provided in the supplementary file.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge Ms. Cathy Pepper and Ms. Ashlynn Kogut from Texas A&M University Health Science Center for their help with the comprehensive searches of the databases and for their advice regarding scoping review methodology. The authors also wish to thank Ms. Lyndsey Raney for her assistance in compiling a large portion of the data as well as Dr. Barbara Gastel for her review of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, 8447 Riverside Pkwy, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA

    Jordan T. Garcia, Logan DuBose, Priya Arunachalam, Angela S. Hairrell, Robert M. Milman & Robert O. Carpenter

  2. Department of Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1161 21st Avenue South, Medical Center North, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA

    Jordan T. Garcia

  3. Department of Medicine, George Washington University Hospital, Ross Hall, 2300 Eye Street, NW, Washington, D.C., 20037, USA

    Logan DuBose

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Contributions

JTG, AH, RM, and RC undertook conceptualization of this review article. JTG, PA, and LD undertook data collection, analyzed the data, and drafted the manuscript. AH, RM, and RC revised the review critically for important intellectual content. JTG, PA, LD, RM, RC, and AH approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jordan T. Garcia.

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Preliminary results from an earlier version of our study were presented at the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons 9th Annual Winter Meeting on February 26, 2022, in Austin, TX, and subsequently published as a conference abstract in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open.

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Garcia, J.T., DuBose, L., Arunachalam, P. et al. The Effects of Humor in Clinical Settings on Medical Trainees and the Implications for Medical Educators: A Scoping Review. Med.Sci.Educ. 33, 611–622 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-023-01769-0

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