Examining effects of mixed arts programmes on inpatients with dementia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Examining the effects of traditional and digital arts interventions on engagement, anxiety, and wellbeing in hospital inpatients with mild to moderate dementia
IRAS ID
218091
Contact name
Gregory Windle
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal College of Music Centre for Performance Science
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Sixty-five per cent of hospital patients in the UK are aged 65 years and older, and 30% of these patients have dementia. Hospital inpatients with dementia currently face a range of issues including elevated anxiety, disorientation, and agitation. These issues present challenges for care in hospital, increasing lengths of stay and stretching care resources. Arts in health programmes in hospital day rooms show promise in reducing anxiety and increasing wellbeing in hospital inpatients with dementia. In addition to using traditional materials, arts programmes increasingly use tablet-based applications. However, the effect of this medium change is unknown.
This project examines traditional arts sessions (involving painting, making music and crafts) and digital arts sessions (involving using tablets and technology to create art and music) at CWFT, a trust that includes Chelsea & Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital. It has two main aims. An ethnographic study will examine how these activities sit within the context of the hospital and explore how patients engage with the activities, and a quantitative study will compare the effects of the activities on anxiety and wellbeing in patients as well as compare if there are differences in the levels of engagement between digital and traditional arts activities. This study aims to recruit between 30 and 60 participants for Phase A and between 90 and 120 participants for Phase B. The questionnaires will include validated measures, demographic information, and open ended researcher-developed questions regarding interest and impression of the arts-based programmes.
REC name
London - Chelsea Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0821
Date of REC Opinion
27 Jul 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion