Laughter and Humour in Primary Care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Laughter and Humour in Primary Care: a Conversation Analytic Study of their Contribution to Building Patient Rapport
IRAS ID
310546
Contact name
Matthew Butler
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of York
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
This research uses Conversation Analysis to investigate the contribution of laughter and humour in primary care telephone consultations. As a result of the Covid 19 pandemic, telephone consultations have become a common format of medical consultation in primary care. While the outcomes of telephone consultations are generally positive, researchers have found that there are limitations surrounding how rapport is accomplished between participants (Greenhalgh et al, 2017; Imlach et al, 2020).
Researchers have found that in face-to-face medical consultations, laughter and humour enable participants to accomplish a rapport and handle delicate or sensitive matters (Haakana, 2001). However, the absence of embodied actions such as smiles and gestures in telephone consultations means that these findings cannot be easily applied to telephone consultations.
The researcher (Matthew Butler) will seek permission from doctors and their patients to study recordings of their telephone consultation. GP surgeries make recordings of their telephone consultations for training and monitoring purposes in line with guidelines set out by the General Medical Council. The recordings will be analysed to observe the contribution of laughter and humour in the telephone consultations. The findings will be reported on in the researcher’s PhD thesis. If the research identifies positive findings, supporting use of humour and laughter as necessary and integral parts of effective communication in primary care, the findings will be used to design workshops for practitioners.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 3
REC reference
22/WS/0102
Date of REC Opinion
4 Aug 2022
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion