Art therapy improves mood, and reduces pain and anxiety when offered at bedside during acute hospital treatment

an article by Tamara A. Shella (Arts and Medicine Institute, Cleveland, OH, USA) published in The Arts in Psychotherapy Volume 57 (February 2018)

Highlights

• A chart review, of the impact of art therapy at the bedside, with patients (N = 195) admitted for acute care at a large, urban, teaching hospital.
• Analysis of results demonstrated significant improvements in pain, mood, and anxiety levels within all patients regardless of gender, age, or diagnosis.
• Art therapy may be a safe and cost effective intervention as an adjunct to traditional medical management.

Abstract

Art therapists can engage medical inpatients in the creation of art to encourage emotional and physical healing. Utilizing a chart review, the impact of art therapy sessions at the bedside with patients (N = 195) in a large urban teaching hospital was reviewed.

The sample was predominantly female (n = 166) as more women than men agreed to participate in an art therapy session. As a routine part of regular clinical practice patients were asked to rate their perception of mood, anxiety, and pain using a 5-point faces scale before and after an art therapy session conducted by a registered art therapist.

Multiple diagnoses were included in this chart review, making this study more representative of the variety of medical issues leading to hospitalization. Analysis of pre and post results demonstrated significant improvements in pain, mood, and anxiety levels of art therapy sessions for all patients regardless of gender, age, or diagnosis (all p < 0.001).

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