Author/year published	Aim and objectives	Methodology	Population	Results
Jones et al., boundaries 2016) [11]	Identify the perceptions of nurses about potential barriers to the use of humour in nursing practice	A literature review of qualitative research and thematic synthesis Four key databases were systematically searched and manual search conducted	7 articles	The results identified the perceptions of nurses about potential barriers that prevent the use of humor in practice. The extent to which nurses use humor is related to personality factors, but is also affected by external environment and social factors. Reluctance in its use in practice is influenced by views that humour is unprofessional; with senior nurses found to have a pertinent role in influencing its use.
(Ghafari et al., 2015) [7]	To describe nurses experience of humor in healthcare setting and factors influencing it	Qualitative study investigated nurses’ experiences of humour in five hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences	17 nurses with masters and baccalaureate degrees in nursing	Understanding nurses’ approach and experiences of humor helps identify its contributing factors and provides valuable conditions for enhancing nurses and patient’s psychological and physical health. Spreading a culture of humor through teaching methods can improve workplace joy.
(Tanay et al., 2012) [12]	To report an analysis of the concept of humor in adult cancer care	Content analysis guided by Walker and Avant’s framework	12 articles	Humor is a subjective emotional response, resulting from the recognition and expression of incongruities of an absurd and impulsive situation, remark, or action, which boosts feelings of closeness when shared in the context of trust in the patient/nurse relationship and may be used as a coping mechanism in a stressful situation such as the adult cancer cure setting.
(Tremayne, 2014) [13]	To discuss how humor can improve physical and psychological wellbeing, meanwhile reducing stress and anxiety	Systematic literature review	Articles about humor	The proper use of humor is a valuable asset in nursing practice, used daily in nurse/patient interaction, it can help to develop the therapeutic relationship and build resilience. When used effectively, humour can lead to a more individualized, holistic and personal approach, which may result in patient care being more comforting and ultimately more compassionate.
(Sousa et al., 2018) [14]	Identify the factors that influence the use of humor and its benefits in the care based relationship	Systematic literature review	7 articles that use a qualitative method	Results showed that for nurse, humor is humanizes the therapeutic relationship, reduces tensions and improves communication and hospitalization experience. For patients, humour has benefits in therapeutic interaction and promotes participation in care.
(Buxman, 2008) [15]	Explore the use of humor in the pre-operating room	Narrative inquiry	Pre-operative nurses	In the pre-operative context, humor is used to relieve stress, facilitate learning and strengthens the trust relationship between nurse and patient.
(Haydon et al., 2015) [16]	Explore four registered nurses’ experiences of the use of humor in relation to gender differences and how it benefits the therapeutic relationship	Narrative inquiry	Registered nurses from a regional hospital	The results indicated gender differences in the way humor is used by patients. For female patients, humor is often instant and used as a reassuring discourse for others, whereas male patients’ humor through stories and anecdotes is designed to establish a sense of equalizing power between the patient and nurse.
(Sousa et al., 2019) [17]	Describe the factors influencing the use of humor in nursing care, its applicability and benefits	Scoping review	Articles published between 2008 and 2018	The results indicate that the use of humor promotes both communication and human interaction; it promotes well-being, helps deal/cope with difficult and unpleasant situations, reduce tension and stress, and strengthens the immune system.
(Linge-Dahl et al., 2018) [18]	Evaluate humor interventions and assessments that have been applied in palliative care and to derive implications for future research	Systematic literature review	Patients in a palliative care setting who received a humor intervention Studies assessing the perspective of caregiver on humor	Findings proved that humor had positive effect on patients, and professional caregivers, humor was widely perceived as beneficial in nursing practice.
(Hardy, 2019) [1]	Encourage the respectful use of humor in clinical setting and support its importance in medical practice	Article	Articles that support the use of humor in medical practice	Not mentioned.
(Tanay, MA et al., 2013) [5]	Highlights the importance of using humor between patients and nurses in the oncology ward	Ethnographic methodology	9 nurses and 12 patients in the adult cancer setting	Results indicate that: Patients consciously use humor during nurse/patient relationship in an attempt to aid nurses adapt to the anxiety they encounter in nursing practice The nurses needed professional guidance when using humor with cancer patients as they expressed concerns of its unprofessionalism.
(Bennett et al., 2014) [19]	Review the evidence related to humor as a therapeutic intervention the dialysis patient	Narrative inquiry	Articles about humor on different populations	Humor interventions that aid in therapy range from humorous videos to simulated laughter the effect of laughter and humor on depression, fatigue…may have applications for the context of dialysis and more research is recommend it.
(Evans, 2012) [20]	Identify the benefits and conditions of humor in gestalt psychotherapy	Article	Not mentioned	Results identified the benefits of humor in gestalt psychotherapy and that conditions that should be followed when using it.
(Patenaude et al., 2006) [21]	Drawing up a general description of scientific articles that deal with humor between nurse and patient	Systematic literature review	Studies on humor in the nurse/patient relationship in the context of daily care from both perspectives	The results indicate that humor in care depends on the situation and the context and can also be spontaneous. There are conditions when using it which are related to the nurse, the patient, the therapeutic relation and the situation.
(Branney et al., 2014) [22]	To explore how patient with penile cancer use humor to their favor while dealing with their diagnosis	Mixed-qualitative-methods	Patients with penile cancer	The results showed that humor helped patients cope with their condition, as they can laugh and joke about the consequences of treatment and build strong relationship with healthcare professionals. The findings suggest that in the appropriate moment, nurses can proceed to using humor to improve the patient’s state but be cautious of sexual and offensive jokes.