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Medical clowning in hospitals: practices, training and perception
  1. Orly Korin,
  2. Deby Babis
  1. Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
  1. Correspondence to Dr Orly Korin, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel; Orly.Korin{at}msmail.ariel.ac.il

Abstract

Previous studies on medical clowning focused on patients, while research remains inadequate concerning clowning itself: training programmes and prerequisite requirements, clowning methods, deontology and accepted practices. Diverse approaches and paradigms in this field of complementary medicine are promoted by non-profit organisations worldwide. Based on an ethnographic study, we explore the current forms of medical clowning in 5 Israeli hospitals. The observed clowns are from the two Israeli organisations, Dream Doctors and Simchat Halev (in Hebrew: joy of the heart), consisting of paid professional medical clowns and volunteers, respectively. According to the findings, significant differences were observed to exist between the organisations. Dream Doctors is conceived and pursued as an expertise practised by performance art professionals, requiring extensive training. These clowns work unaccompanied, receive a salary, are considered members of the medical team, and, given their privileged status, have access to hospitals’ open and closed areas. The Dream Doctors consider medical clowning as a paramedical practice, in which interventions are individually suited to the circumstances of each patient, and obtain therapeutic results. In contrast, Simchat Halev’s medical clowns are volunteers with no prerequisite artistic background and undergo shorter periods of training. The access granted to these clowns, usually working in pairs, is restricted to open areas. Simchat Halev promotes medical clowning as a volunteer-based public practice, offering general entertainment to all patients indiscriminately, and their contribution is characterised as achieving basic entertainment value.

  • social anthropology
  • medical anthropology
  • art in hospitals
  • art therapy
  • paediatrics

Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request.

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Data availability statement

Data are available upon reasonable request.

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Footnotes

  • Correction notice This article has been corrected since it was published Online First. Figure 1 has been changed to a different photo.

  • Contributors OK: conceptualisation, research, analysis, writing of the original draft, writing of the review and editing, guarantor. DB: conceptualisation, analysis, writing of the original draft, writing of the review and editing.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.