The perceived impact of art and design on patient experience
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Understanding patients’ subjective experiences of interacting with art and design in a cancer centre environment
IRAS ID
211307
Contact name
Louise Marshall
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Canterbury Christ Church University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 9 months, 28 days
Research summary
Title: Understanding patients’ subjective experiences of interacting with the arts in a cancer centre environment
There is a growing body of research that supports the idea that the way we think and feel is influenced by our surroundings. When it comes to health, it has been shown that engaging with the arts can bring several benefits to those living with chronic health conditions, such as cancer. These benefits include improved psychological wellbeing (e.g. reduced distress, better sense of personal identity) and a greater capacity to reflect on the stressful experience of seeking treatment. The new cancer centre at Guy’s & St Thomas Hospital has been designed with these ideas in mind and incorporates several elements which seek to improve patient experience, such as an integrated arts programme and a colour-coded wayfinding system.
The current study aims to investigate patients’ experiences of the cancer centre environment and will involve semi-structured interviews containing questions such as ‘What are your impressions about the building, the physical space and design of the building?’ Between 12 and 25 participants, aged 18 and above, will be interviewed and it hoped that this sample will include a range of ages, diagnoses and treatment plans in order to compile a rich set of data.
The rationale for this project is that hospitals can be stressful environments, especially when going through cancer treatment, and it is therefore crucial that everything possible is done to make the experience as conducive to wellbeing as possible. It is hoped that this will bring about some ideas on how to improve our approach to clinical healthcare more widely. The project is expected to run from December 2016 to September 2018 and will take place at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Cancer Centre, London.REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0031
Date of REC Opinion
31 Jan 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion