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The role of the arts in health care
It may not be immediately clear why a
hospital needs an art gallery, a curated
collection or artists moving through the
wards offering paintbrushes instead of
prescriptions, but research has shown that
the integration of the arts into health-care
environments enhances patient well-being
and improves health outcomes. In a sterile,
clinical setting, the arts introduce warmth,
humanity and comfort. Studies reveal that
exposure to the arts can reduce stress,
decrease the need for pain medication and
even shorten hospital stays.
Research published in 2019 in the
Journal of Hospital Management and
Health Policy found that heart surgery
patients experienced significantly less post-
operative anxiety when exposed to nature
imagery compared to blank walls. A 2014
study from the Cleveland Clinic revealed
that 73 per cent of patients with mental-
health disorders experienced a noticeable
improvement in mood after engaging with
visual art, with 61 per cent also reporting
reduced stress levels.
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“Music and museum interventions
have been linked to pain management,
and creative arts therapies have been
shown to alleviate symptoms of anxiety
and depression while enhancing coping
capacities,” noted the World Health
Organization in its Global Series on the
Health Benefits of the Arts.
For Pam Kriangkum, a former patient
at the University of Alberta Hospital, the
art was more than just decoration — it
was life-changing. Admitted in 2016 for
mental health reasons, she found herself
in the McMullen Gallery, where an exhibit
called Temper Talk by artist Jes McCoy
deeply resonated with her. The interactive
display featured stamps, letters and
messages of encouragement. One message
stood out: “Love yourself intensely,
immensely and indefinitely.” She took a
photo, setting it as her phone background
for nearly three years, pinning it to
her bedroom wall as a daily reminder.
“I suddenly saw myself differently,”
Kriangkum says. “I realized there was
much more of me to give.”