How Hospitals Can Capitalize on the Therapeutic Benefits of Art
Author’s note: You may be wondering how the challenges hospital staff and administrators face relate to wall murals and the work of an interior design company like Magic Murals. In this article, we consider how the look and feel of the environment inside a hospital relates to staff retention, profitability, and patient outcomes.
The chief concern of hospital staff and administrators is ensuring patients receive the highest possible level of care in their healthcare facilities. The clinical competence of the medical providers and the ability to offer the latest technology and equipment are two primary factors essential to providing excellent care. It’s also important to recognize that the ambiance and amenities a hospital offers can greatly affect the experiences of patients and their families.
This article from Harvard Business Review outlines how innovative hospital design increases patient satisfaction, reduces costs, and improves outcomes. Extensive research shows that effective design offers benefits with measurable impact. In one study of many demonstrating positive effects, “as needed” injections of anti-psychotic drugs given in the lounge of an acute psychiatric clinic in the U.S. decreased 70% when posters of realistic nature scenes were added.
This mural of a coral reef transforms the waiting room at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Accent lighting with a soothing blue glow simulates an aquarium, providing staff and patients with many of the same benefits of live fish for a fraction of the cost. Durable, scratch-resistant, and easy to clean, wall murals are low-maintenance and environmentally friendly.
Evidence-based design offers much more than a pleasing aesthetic
Dr. Roger Ulrich’s research is widely considered to have sparked the evidence-based design movement that has gradually gained acceptance over the past 40 years. In his 1984 study titled View Through a Window May Influence Recovery from Surgery, Ulrich found that post-surgery patients with a view of nature needed fewer pain meds and had fewer negative evaluative comments from nurses. They also had shorter hospital stays.
This landmark research served as a springboard for numerous other scientists to examine elements of the built environment of hospitals and isolate their effects on patient outcomes, staff productivity, and safety in healthcare systems. The validity of evidence-based healthcare design progressed slowly at first. Now that many universities offer graduate degrees in the field, thousands of studies with positive results have been conducted, resulting in a tremendous surge in the implementation of innovative design.
Nonprofit organization RxART promotes healing by transforming children’s hospital settings.
RxART exists to help children heal through the extraordinary power of visual art. Located in New York City, their mission is to commission “established contemporary artists to transform children’s hospital settings into engaging and uplifting healing environments at no cost to the hospitals.”
The organization curates work from artists around the world and has completed dozens of projects at hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. Each artist receives an honorarium, the opportunity to create public art with purpose, and the chance to transform the lives of children as they heal.
Magic Murals fabricates each custom wall mural for RxART’s collaborations with hospitals. For one striking example, see the header image of this blog post for “Before” and “After” photos of Seascape. This blue and white work by painter, sculptor, and mixed media artist Rashid Johnson graces the MRI suite at the University of Minnesota Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB). The soothing images help reduce the anxiety pediatric patients often feel when getting an MRI and contribute to creating a welcoming environment. The MRI suite houses MIDB’s Neuroimaging Hub, which is dedicated to a variety of brain research and cutting-edge translational applications for MRI. MIDB is conducting important research in advancing brain health from the earliest stages of development.
Born in 1977 in Chicago, Johnson is one of the most influential visual artists of his generation. In Seascape, a boat with simple lines repeats in a pattern stretching from floor to ceiling. The abstract shapes evoke the gentle rocking of a sea vessel and communicate a sense of calm that transcends cultural boundaries.
The family of RxART founder and president Diane Brown wanted her to become a doctor, but she was passionate about art from a young age. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biology and worked in cancer and food research. At the earliest opportunity, however, she returned to studying art and art history. Diane founded a gallery in Washington, DC that she ran for 16 years, and she then moved to New York City to open a gallery in Soho. Subsequently, she became the curator of a photography collection for a public company.
While working as a curator, Diane fell ill and needed a CAT scan. “Everything turned out fine for me, but I was very scared during the procedure. All I had to distract me from my fears was my imagination, and I imagined a painting going across the ceiling. This was so helpful to me that I wanted to provide this for other people.” Diane adds that support and encouragement from philanthropist Agnes Gund gave her the confidence to move forward immediately, and she founded RxART in 2000.
“The artwork installations we coordinate are for facilities that provide pediatric care, which now often includes patients up to 24 years old,” Diane says. “Our goal is for images to appeal to kids and teens, as well as to their adult caregivers.” The new look of the healthcare environments RxART embellishes supports the morale of the clinical care team as well.
Diane continues: “It’s now well-documented that providing a pleasant and positively challenging environment has many benefits for patients beyond decreasing anxiety. Appropriate artwork and design can lessen the length of hospital stays and decrease the amount of pain medication people need.”
She adds that she appreciates how Mike Fleming, CEO of Magic Murals, and the design team print samples so that each artist RxART commissions can ensure that all colors are reproducing correctly before the mural is produced. “Mike is great at working with the artists,” Diane says. “He and his team make sure all artwork is scaled correctly and has the right resolution. Our standards are extremely high for the quality of the printing.”
Fabricating a mural for a single flat wall is literally a big job. Installation is typically a snap in a residential setting, but healthcare environments can be tricky. “You can imagine how many seams and corners there are to take into consideration in a diagnostic room. All the panels must match up perfectly,” Diane says.
When wall murals are fabricated correctly the first time, this helps minimize disruptions to patients and staff. “Mike is an awesome partner,” Diane says. “He really gets it. He’s just been a dream to work with.”
Magic Murals is proud to support the efforts of RxART and work with the acclaimed artists they commission for mural installations in hospitals.
RxART worked with painter Ann Craven on an art installation for the Nappi Wellness Institute at SUNY Upstate in Syracuse, NY. Magic Murals fabricated murals of the artist’s playful, eye-catching images of birds that transform the Institute’s family medicine department. The Nappi Wellness Institute is an innovative, five-floor, 200,000-square-foot outpatient facility designed to facilitate the collaborative provision of healthcare, social, and behavioral services under one roof. It is the first WELL-Certified building in Central New York and among the first hospitals of this type in the nation.
When young patients are faced with surgery and uncertainty about their health, a little levity can go a long way to helping the entire family keep their spirits up. The installation of Trees for Children by Nicolas Party at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) was completed in 2021. Party created a mural for the 207-foot corridor leading to CHLA’s Operating Department that is constantly traveled, as the hospital provides nearly 16,500 surgeries a year. CHLA is a children’s general medical and surgical facility that ranks nationally in 10 pediatric specialties. It is routinely among the top U.S. pediatric hospitals for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant funding.
Contrast the ominous, alienating feel of the hospital corridor with blank walls with the cheerful ambiance created once murals of Nicolas Party’s whimsical work crown the space.
Recognition of the therapeutic value of art has deep roots in human history.
Data from hundreds of studies conducted over the past 40 years support the idea that art can promote healing, but it’s not a new concept. The origins of the use of the arts in health can be traced to artifacts dating back circa 40,000 years. Early humans used the arts in healing rituals and incorporated them into their medical theories.
Fast forward to the 19th century and the emergence of modern Western medicine due to scientific research and technical innovation. Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, penned these words in 1859: “The effect in sickness of beautiful objects, of variety of objects, and especially of brilliancy of colors is hardly at all appreciated…. People say the effect is only on the mind. It is no such thing. The effect is on the body, too. Little as we know about the way in which we are affected by form, by color, and light, we do know this, that they have an actual physical effect. Variety of form and brilliancy of color in the objects presented to patients are actual means of recovery.”
There are limitless ways hospitals can add form and color to sterile, utilitarian surroundings to help patients feel more relaxed and potentially improve outcomes. Most of us feel anxious when faced with a medical test or procedure, and wall murals like this tropical scene at Medical City North Hills provide a distraction and help patients imagine they’re somewhere else.
Magic Murals works with healthcare facilities all over the world to improve their interiors, but one client close to home is UNC Health Johnston. Our design team provided their Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Center with images that make going to rehab feel more like a trip to an upscale health club.
Murals and wall art of motivational sayings and scenes of the great outdoors help motivate patients at the rehab center to reach their goals. The décor also features an interactive element. A mural of a tree by the water’s edge is covered with dry erase laminate so patients can express their thoughts about their treatment journey.
UNC Health Johnston is part of the UNC Health System Network, a nonprofit integrated system owned by the state of North Carolina. The staff of the Johnston Health Foundation, which supports quality of care in Johnston County, NC, knows showing appreciation to donors is essential, and the Magic Murals design team created impressive signage for their giving walls.
Johnston Health Foundation’s Giving Wall signage and artwork in Clayton, NC and Smithfield, NC created by Magic Murals.
Interior design is key to differentiating your hospital from the competition.
Many experts believe a key factor in hospital profitability is strengthening brand recognition through direct-to-consumer marketing. Choosing the right look and feel for your primary target markets can help a hospital project an image as a top-quality care provider, attract patients, and increase the likelihood of patients and their families recommending your facility to others.
U.S. Renal Care Westside Dialysis in Beverly Hills, CA asked Magic Murals to create wall murals with relaxing nature scenes featuring water for their waiting area and dialysis rooms. These uplifting images improve patients’ experience while receiving this critical procedure that can have unpleasant side effects.
Mount St. Mary Hospital in Victoria, British Columbia provides convalescent care services to 200 residents. The hospital covered select doors in the facility with murals to discourage patient use and increase safety. If you’re interested in these types of murals, check with your local authorities to be sure the artwork would comply with your city’s fire codes. We take a deep dive into the effective use of murals in residential facilities in our popular blog post Decorating for Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care with Wall Murals and Wall Art.
In addition to the emotional benefits of pleasing aesthetics for both patients and staff, wall murals can be used for many purposes in assisted living, long-term care, and other senior care facilities:
- Directing patient behavior.
- Designating areas for a specific purpose.
- Improving workflow and staff efficiency.
- Disguising exits and elevators to discourage wandering.
- Making entrances inviting for locations where you want patients to congregate.
- Providing landmarks to help residents navigate from one area to another.
- Creating a unique entrance for each resident’s living space.
- Adding warmth to utilitarian areas like bathrooms and bathing areas.
- Making small areas seem larger and adding views to windowless rooms.
- Customizing residents’ private spaces with custom murals created from their personal photographs.
Some of the many doors at Mount St. Mary Hospital, which provides a home-like atmosphere for 200 residents requiring complex care services. The images chosen for these door covers include barriers such as fences and walls; images that provide a visual cue to “stop and do not enter” have a similar affect as do the actual barriers. Barrier murals like these are a great way to keep patients from entering restricted areas.
Offering amenities helps hospitals secure patients and increase profitability.
This blog post from Healthcare Success offers a helpful list of more than 40 amenities that hospitals across the U.S. are offering. The author, Healthcare Success CEO Stewart Gandolf, suggests the typical consumer’s perception of a hospital is based more on non-clinical aspects of care than clinical excellence. In addition to effective interpersonal communication with hospital staff, patients and their loved ones often most appreciate the value of hospitality-based amenities that provide comfort and convenience.
Research suggests the benefits of hospitals offering amenities such as upscale décor can include improved clinical outcomes, higher patient satisfaction, increased ability to attract preferred patients, an enhanced reputation, and increased positive exposure on social media as patients provide social proof of their treatment experiences. Posts by your patients and their loved ones are vital to your social media efforts, which are largely dependent on appealing visuals.
As asserted in this 2019 study on the impact of marketing strategies in healthcare systems published in the Journal of Medicine and Life, “Marketing plays an important role in helping healthcare professionals to create, communicate, and provide value to their target market.” The authors of this study go on say that “Patient satisfaction must be the main objective of any healthcare organization and this requires a thorough knowledge of their needs and expectations.” Healthcare marketers generally agree that amenities like pleasing interior design are central to increasing a hospital’s broad brand recognition because they are an important contributor to patient satisfaction.
Magic Murals is a leader in the interior design and large format printing industries with a business emphasis on printed wallpaper murals and other large scale wall graphics. Our team creates custom-sized wall murals for clients around the world out of our facility in North Carolina. We serve corporate, small business, residential, and design & trade customers. When you take advantage of our expertise, you can easily create large wall prints and wallpaper wall murals for your hospital from your own digital images or from our extensive collection of curated images.
The design professionals at Magic Murals have assisted thousands of clients over more than 15 years with image selection and the creation of their custom murals. We can accommodate any design preference and offer almost limitless access to images. Our team can adjust artwork to perfectly complement your color palette, remove unwanted objects, and more.
Whether you need interior design improvements in one area of your hospital or want to identify a partner for a full-scale redesign or new construction, we look forward to learning more about your project. Contact us online today or call us at (877) 448-7295 for a free consult. Or chat online with one of our friendly team members.
September 24, 2024 @ 10:02 am
This is an amazing blog!! So organized and comprehensive! I hope many schools, hospitals, and any enterprise open to the public will see it.
September 11, 2024 @ 3:29 pm
Hey Mike it’s Greg Mcallister , All American Wallpapering. I installed some of the murals in LA.
Great research in the blog. I live in Murrieta in a wilderness area called La cresta. My wife and I live near the Santa Rosa nature reserve which is lots of open space rolling hills mature oak trees.
I have always believed living close to nature is inherently a healthy way to live . Your hospital murals made for RX fit into this way of thinking with the color, nature sceneries etc. I only put together the murals we installed helped the children going into surgery feel more comfortable looking at the murals . I now realize it’s more than that . The patients actually go through the hospital experience healthier. They have less anxiety, need less drugs, heal faster . Very similar to living near nature and not in a dense city life.
That all sounds good!
October 14, 2024 @ 1:15 pm
Hey Greg –
So nice to hear from you and many thanks for your comments on our article.
I think we all inherently believe that beautiful environments lift the human spirit… but we went ahead and sifted through the research to prove it.
On behalf of all of us – thanks for working with us to make the world a prettier and healthier place!
Be well!