Arts and Health
It is recognized that the arts have a key role to play in delivering an improved patient environment. The idea of embracing arts as an integral part of hospital design has been promoted by NHS Estates, The Princes Foundation, CABE and The Kings Fund. In addition, in 2007, the Department of Health carried out a review of arts and health activity in the UK. The review demonstrated that the arts have a significant contribution to make in improving the wellbeing and health of patients, service users and carers as well as staff and those working in health and the arts.
The use of the arts in healthcare have been proven to:
- Deliver an improved environment
- Promote wellbeing
- Reduce stress
- Reduce lengths of stay
- Deliver increased service user, carer and staff satisfaction
- Reduce complaints
- Reduce vandalism
- Reduce the use of medication
- Lead to fewer incidences of aggression
- Promote greater care for the environment
- Reduce maintenance costs
- Create improved working conditions and increase staff retention
- Increase positive public awareness of health awareness and mental health issues
Arts and Health Research
There is a growing body of evidence that proves the value and impact of the environment and the arts on healing.
Examples of evidence for the benefits of art and health projects are:
- A 2-year research study carried out by Dr Rosalia Staricoff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital to evaluate the effect of visual and performing arts in health care. The research explored whether visual and performing arts could have an effect on psychological, physiological and biological outcomes of clinical significance. The results demonstrated that the integration of the visual and performing arts in healthcare induces significant differences in clinical outcomes, reduces the amount of drug consumption, shortens lengths of stay in hospital, improves patient management, contributes towards increased job satisfaction and enhances the quality of service. (2001)
- Building on the evidence: qualitative research into the impact of an arts programme in mental health service, Summary of Review of Existing Literature Reviews (2006) Daykin and Byrne, and Arts in Health: a review of the medical literature (2004) Rosalia Staricoff) have shown that the use of arts in healthcare can also deliver increased service user and carer satisfaction, reduced complaints, vandalism and incidences of aggression, greater care for the environment and reduced maintenance costs.
- American scientist Roger Ulrich set up controlled tests in hospital to prove that patients recovering from surgery got better more quickly and took fewer painkillers when they could see a view through a window rather than just bare walls. (2004)
- A study carried out at Leeds Teaching Hospitals found that improved patient environments in the newly built Jubilee Wing at Leeds General Infirmary, which included commissioned artworks by Tonic, the arts project of the hospital, enhanced recovery times and improved patients' perceptions of the care they received from staff.
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