Previous studies have investigated preferred type of visual art (abstract or landscape) for people in healthcare environments as well as the implications of art choices; this research builds on that earlier work. Cardiothoracic surgery units are particularly interesting places to collect data related to art in corridors. This is because patients in these units generally need to spend time walking in these hallways every day as part of their postoperative physical therapy.
The purpose of this study was to learn how visual art hanging on walls in the corridors of cardiothoracic surgery inpatient units influences patient experience.
Patients completed surveys and one-on-one in semi-structured interviews. There were 45 participants, 15 from each of three conditions, which differed in terms of the art placed in unit corridors. Some saw landscape art, some abstract art, and some a mix of landscape and abstract art. The three units where data were collected were similar in all important dimensions except for the art in the hallways and all were in the same hospital. All art used for this research was produced in the last 30 years and “Abstract was defined as nonrepresentational, whereas landscape-based was defined as both representational imagery and abstracted landscape imagery.” Pieces included paintings, prints, photographs, or mixed media. Artwork labels had information on the piece and the artist; exactly what sort of information was not detailed in the article.
A greater percentage of the participants in the landscape art condition reported that the art had a positive effect on their well-being, but, as the researchers report, “the positive responses on the Abstract and Mixed Units were also notable. . . abstract did not have a negative effect.” More participants in the landscape conditions stated that their mood, comfort, stress, overall satisfaction, and experience was significantly or somewhat improved as a result of the art in place; there were many positive responses to the abstract art. There were no data indicating that patients in the abstract or mixed art conditions were made anxious or uncomfortable by the art presented.
There were only 45 participants in this study and all were hospitalized because of cardiothoracic issues. Some had not spent as much time walking in hallways as participant selection criteria required. Detailed clinical data about the study participants were not collected.