A significant body of research articulating the value of the arts in health care has emerged over the past two decades. This research defines the field, including its methods and clinical outcomes, and provides a basis for recognition of the significant contributions the arts make to healthcare and to the medical environment.
UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine and the Center for the Arts in Medicine play important roles in research at UF Health Hospitals and UF, and partner with numerous units, clinicians, and institutions to facilitate clinical studies. Examples of recent and current studies include:
- Observational study of an Arts in Medicine program in an outpatient hemodialysis unit
- The Gift of Art and its Effect on Medical-Surgical Work Environment: assessing the impact of an arts in medicine program on nurse satisfaction, stress, compassion satisfaction, and nurse retention on a medical-surgical unit at UF Health Shands Hospital
- The Arts and Organizational Collaboration in Rural Communities: assessing the effect of arts in healthcare programs in rural communities on collaboration among health, human services, and cultural organizations (study in progress)
To learn more about research regarding the arts and health, see the following resources:
- Arts & Health: A Journal for Research, Policy, and Practice: www.tandfonline.com/toc/rahe20/current
- UF Center for Arts in Medicine: https://arts.ufl.edu/academics/center-for-arts-in-medicine/researchandpublications/