Art for Medical Practices, Offices, Hospitals

Why invest in Evidence Based Art for your Medical Practice Rooms, Office or Hospital?

Healing: Art makes patients and staff feel better.

Positive distraction: Art allows patients and visitors to focus on something other than their (and the surrounding people’s) condition.

Branding: Art improves the perception of care at the hospital and serves as an element that users identify with.

Deinstitutionalisation: Art makes the hospital (and medical practices) less intimidating.

De-stressor: Patients, visitors, and staff use favourite pieces of art to destress; this is particularly true for the staff.

Wayfinding: Prominent pieces of art serve as landmarks for patients and visitors. [1]

Art in the medical and hospital environment has been extensively studied and the evidence is clear that there are positive effects for patients, staff and practitioners by incorporating evidence based art into the physical environment.

What is Evidence Based Art?

Based on an extensive body of both scientific studies and anecdotal accounts, Ulrich and Gilpin (2003) [2] have developed the following guidelines for appropriate art content in healthcare settings:

• Waterscapes:calm or non-turbulent water
• Landscapes:visual depth or open foreground
• trees with broad canopy
• savannah landscapes
• verdant vegetation
• positive cultural artefacts (e.g., barns and older houses)
• Flowers:healthy and fresh
• familiar
• gardens with open foreground
• Figurative art:emotionally positive faces
• diverse leisurely [1]

At John Lechner Art we focus on providing nature and moments that inspire, relax and lift the mood. We are able to provide simple and practical advice about incorporating evidence based art into your medical practice, offices or hospital.

Clinical Effects of art in Medical Practice, Offices and Hospitals

In clinical settings, encouraging patients to engage with the arts can help:

• to manage pain and the side effects of some treatments, 
• to alleviate stress and anxiety
• to come to terms with what can be major and distressing episodes in their lives. 

"Incorporating the arts into the design of health care facilities has positive benefits for staff, for patients and for their carers. 

Integrating the arts into the training and professional development of health professionals helps them better communicate with and understand their patients, from all social and ethnic groups. 

The health benefits of the arts are, however, not confined to clinical settings; they are available to us all. Dr Staricoff quotes Swedish research showing that engagement with the arts is associated with longer life expectancy.

It highlights the crucial importance of the arts and humanities in: 

• inducing positive physiological and psychological changes in clinical outcomes 
• reducing drug consumption 
• shortening length of stay in hospital 
• increasing job satisfaction 
• promoting better doctor-patient relationships 
• improving mental healthcare 
• developing health practitioners’ empathy across gender and cultural diversity" [3]

"The evidence accumulated throughout this study strongly suggests that visual and performing arts could play a therapeutic role during the pre-operative period. 

The arts integrated into the clinical environment significantly diminished the levels of anxiety, and induced physiological and biological changes which have clinical value. 

The levels of blood pressure, heart rate and cortisol were lower in the group of patients exposed to visual arts and live music. 

This research also found a reduction in the amount of induction drugs needed prior to anaesthesia in those patients who had their preoperative preparation in the presence of visual and performing arts."[4]

"A clinical environment offering interesting and attractive visual arts and a programme of live music contributes to shortening the length of stay in hospital and significantly reduces the consumption of analgesics.” [4]

"The results showed that 60% of staff recognised that the particular environment of this hospital helps to reduce stress levels, and to change their mood for the better (76.5%); 90% agreed that the integration of visual and performing arts made for a very pleasant working environment. 

…

The particular environment of this hospital eased their 44 stress levels: clinicians 75%, nurses 60%, and contributed greatly towards a positive change in mood, in 88% of clinicians and 82% of nursing staff.

For 96% of clinicians and 91% of nurses the integration of the arts into health care result in a very pleasant environment.” [4]

Waiting Rooms

"Using positive distractions like nature-based video and still art, instead of loud TVs, can also help to bring down the noise level and improve patients’ mood, which has implications for patient and staff satisfaction. We can, therefore, conclude that a simple visual intervention, like still and video art, can improve the patient waiting experience in the ED” [5]

"Findings from a systematic observation of waiting behavior showed that an evidence-based positive distraction can impact reduce restlessness, which could be an indicator of patient anxiety and stress; decrease people watching, which has privacy implications; and increase socialisation, which could impact social support. 

Reduction in noise levels can be achieved through both a reduction in ambient noise levels and as a behavioural outcome of reduced anxiety. This study suggests that including a simple visual art intervention, that is carefully selected based on best available evidence, can not only impact patient (and visitor) behaviour, but also the overall healthcare experience.” [5]

Selection Process

We have a diverse selection of photographic art from around Australia and the world. Our art focuses on nature’s beauty, sunrise and sunset as well as rainforests waterfalls and other relaxing scenes.

Our art formats include traditional mounted & framed fine art prints plus our modern Art on Glass prints. These frameless glass prints are perfect for the medical environment as they are glass and easy clean.

We help you choose the right sizes, shapes, colours and moods based on the space, practice needs, patient care and mood goals. We will prepare a custom art plan for your practice.

"artworks contribute in creating an environment and atmosphere where patients can socialise and stay connected to the world and life outside the hospital, themselves and their spirit” [6]

Book Your Consultation Today

John Lechner Art is based in the Hunter Valley NSW, we offer free consultations to Medical Practices, Hospitals, Aged Care Facilities and more. We come to you and provide a detailed plan for the implementation and/or modification of artworks throughout your practice.

We identify your needs from your reception and waiting room through your treatment and recovery spaces, staff offices, break areas and meeting rooms.

Book your Consultation by calling John Lechner Art on 0449 105 295 or email [email protected].

Easy Payment Options

Artworks can be purchased outright as a capital expense. For small practices that qualify for the accelerated depreciation for small businesses (under $2 million turnover) [7] you may qualify for 100% immediate write off of your artwork purchases.

Additionally we have finance options that allow you to lease your art for 2-3 years to expense the purchase over time (minimum finance $10,000).

Free Delivery and Installation

All prices quoted include Free delivery and installation of your artworks. Artworks can be installed outside normal practice hours. Additional fee may apply outside normal business hours.

Book your Consultation by calling John Lechner Art on 0449 105 295 or email [email protected].

References

[1]  Guide to Evidence-Based Art Kathy Hathorn, MA, and Upali Nanda, Ph.D.

[2] Ulrich & Gilpin 2003 - Ulrich R, Gilpin L. Healing arts: nutrition for the soul. In: Frampton SB, Gilpin L, Charmel P, editors. Putting patients first: designing and practicing patient centred care. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass; 2003. pp. 117–168. 

[3] Arts in health: a review of the medical literature Dr Rosalia Lelchuk Staricoff

[4] A Study of the Effects of Visual and Performing Arts in Health Care Dr Rosalia Lelchuk Staricoff

[5] Impact of Visual Art on Waiting Behavior in the Emergency Department Upali Nanda, PhD, Assoc. AIA, EDAC

[6] How do patients actually experience and use art in hospitals? The significance of interaction: a user-oriented experimental case study Stine L. Nielsen, Lars B. Fich, Kirsten K. Roessler, and Michael F. Mullins

[7] Growing jobs and small business – expanding accelerated depreciation for small businesses - ATO Australia