This article considers that benefits of using humor in clinical settings come with risks of diminishing therapeutic capacity in patient-clinician relationships.
AMA J Ethics. 2020;22(7):E576-582. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.576.
Joshua Nagler, MD, MHPEd and Rebekah Mannix, MD, MPH
Humor can help motivate positive interactions amidst fast-paced clinical encounters but can alienate colleagues when weaponized to promote assumed superiority of an individual or group.
AMA J Ethics. 2020;22(7):E583-587. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.583.
Jennifer D. Byrne, LCSW, CADC, Katie S. Clancy, MSW, and Isabell Ciszewski, LCSW
Social work perspectives on whether prescribers should authorize opioid refills emphasize the importance of multidisciplinary approaches to patient self-determination.
AMA J Ethics. 2020;22(8):E658-663. doi:
10.1001/amajethics.2020.658.
There are at least two considerations here: the patient’s perception of a physician’s empathic expression and the physician’s level of comfort with expressing empathy and attending to patients’ emotions.
AMA J Ethics. 2015;17(2):111-115. doi:
10.1001/virtualmentor.2015.17.2.ecas1-1502.