Introduction to Special Patient Populations

While public spaces in today’s hospitals are a backdrop for fine art that encompasses many different styles and looks, including abstract art, patient spaces are different in the type of art that is appropriate. In medicine we know that there is no one treatment, no one magic pill that treats all conditions and cures all illnesses. I believe that this is also true in creating art programs that are patient-centered and have the therapeutic value to reduce stress and improve outcomes. Here is an example.

Imagine that you’ve been out jogging . You’ve twisted your ankle and have ended up in the emergency room. As you sit there in pain and frustration , hoping that it’s only sprained and not broken , you look at the painting hanging in the waiting room. It’s a picture of a mountain stream gently swirling through sundappled rocks. You close your eyes and feel the cool water. The sound of the water is soothing and calming . Perhaps time seems to pass more quickly because you have been positively distracted by the picture. You have received therapeutic benefit from the image.

Now imagine that you are a woman in ultra-sound waiting . Your procedure must be performed with a full bladder. You have been given six or more glasses of water to drink. You look at the art in the waiting room. It’s the same painting of the mountain stream! The picture is no longer therapeutic but in fact highly stressful.

A hospital is a tiny city whose citizens are dying, being born or grappling with a myriad of illnesses and conditions that confront them throughout their lifetimes. Patient-centered art programs must accommodate special patient populations who inherently have unique needs due to their particular illnesses or conditions.

By using this approach not only do you have an opportunity to impart the message that you understand the plight of the patient , but you also have a wonderful opportunity to market the goodwill of the facility in doing so.

By choosing art based on the needs of special patient populations , you can :

• Mitigate the stress of the environment;

• Promote a bond between the patient and the care giver, and;

• Improve patient experience and patient satisfaction.