Healing power from cover life palatable? I would argue that a good deal of our individual and societal ability to cope with the myriad challenges of life is through utilization of the arts. We arrange and design our living spaces, decorate our walls, listen to music, read, write, dance, recite stories, joke, delve
to be human. And if they are essential to human nature, then we as physicians need to recognize the arts as an additional avenue for healing, as much as we recognize diet, exercise, pharmaceuticals, and surgery. But how can the arts benefit health care?
sterility of the hospital ward nearly matched the necessary clinical sterility. In this context, patients, captive and immobile, not only were constantly reminded where they were and what they faced, but also were forced to sacrifice their sense of control. Increased patient fear and anxiety were natural outcomes.
Further exposure to the arts may produce better physicians.
into creative hobbies and pastimes, adorn our bodies with styles that we find fashionable, and prepare our food in creative ways. The arts are not confined to museums, concert halls, and coffee books. They are woven into the very fabric of what it is
The arts in the health care environment
Until fairly recently, health care environmental design has emphasized efficiency, practicality, and technology from the perspective of health care providers and administrators, with less attention to the patient and family experience. The aesthetic
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MINNESOTA PHYSICIAN NOVEMBER 2011
Studies have demonstrated that the use of design and visual art not only improves the patient experience, but can also positively influence both clinical outcomes and medical expenditures. Several studies have revealed that rooms designed with views of nature decrease anxiety, physical discomfort, and the requirement for pain medication, compared to rooms without such elements. Other studies have suggested that artwork depicting nature can achieve similar results, although many have argued that soothing abstract artwork can be equally effective. Realizing the subjective nature of art appreciation, more and more hospitals are developing art carts that visit patients’ rooms and allow patients to personally select the artwork that will grace their rooms. Art is also being installed in procedure rooms, particularly on ceilings, to provide a more soothing, less threatening environment and/or to serve as a pleasant distraction. Similarly, live music is being used in procedure rooms as well as at the bedside. Music is not just an acoustic pleasantry. One study demonstrated remarkable financial savings when music was played for children undergoing diagnostic procedures. Cost reductions related to a decreased need for nursing support, decreased need for sedation, and greater success of the diagnostic procedure itself.
Active participation in the arts has also proved useful in assisting patients and families endure the long confinement of dialysis and other lengthy medical treatments. And applications of the arts are not confined to the interior of medical facilities: Meditative and healing gardens, labyrinths, and sculpture gardens are increasingly being recognized as valuable for providing a welcomed respite for patients, families, and staff alike. The arts and medical treatments
The arts also play a role in the active treatment of medical conditions. Dance and movement therapies are being used to increase the mobility of patients with Parkinson’s disease and other conditions that diminish movement. Singing allows aphasic patients an avenue toward speech recovery. Museum visits and art-making are being used as adjunctive approaches in treating patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Art, music, dance, drama, and poetry therapies have all been used to help patients express, reflect on, and respond to their experiences. Although these creative arts therapies were initially applied as variants of psychotherapy, their use has expanded to treatment of numerous medical conditions. This should come as no surprise; what patient dealing with chronic disease is immune from the psychological challenges that derive from physical, social, and occupational impairments? The arts and prevention
The field of medicine has increasingly emphasized the importance of efforts aimed at disease prevention, and the arts have a tremendous ability to address this goal. Dancing has been recognized as one of the best ways to fend off cognitive decline, and has been proposed as one approach to increase exercise and address the growing obesity epidemic. An interesting variation on the theme, called Conductorcise, is a particularly enjoyable way to combine music appreciation and exercise in a group format. In England, the Get Healthy, Get Singing