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Updated: May 10, 2026
Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Preferences for photographic art among hospitalized patients with cancer
Hazel Hanson1, Kathryn Schroeter, Andrew Hanson
1Blood and Marrow Transplant Unit, Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA. hazelhanson@att.net
Purpose/Objectives:
To determine the preferences of patients with cancer for viewing photographic art in an inpatient hospital setting and to evaluate the impact of viewing photographic art.
Design:
Quantitative, exploratory, single-group, post-test descriptive design incorporating qualitative survey questions.
Setting:
An academic medical center in the midwestern United States.
Sample:
80 men (n = 44) and women (n = 36) aged 19-85 years (X = 49) and hospitalized for cancer treatment.
Methods:
Participants viewed photographs via computers and then completed a five-instrument electronic survey.
Main Research Variables:
Fatigue, quality of life, performance status, perceptions of distraction and restoration, and content categories of photographs.
Findings:
Ninety-six percent of participants enjoyed looking at the study photographs. The photographs they preferred most often were lake sunset (76%), rocky river (66%), and autumn waterfall (66%). The most rejected photographs were amusement park (54%), farmer's market vegetable table (51%), and kayakers (49%). The qualitative categories selected were landscape (28%), animals (15%), people (14%), entertainment (10%), imagery (10%), water (7%), spiritual (7%), flowers (6%), and landmark (3%). Some discrepancy between the quantitative and qualitative sections may be related to participants considering water to be a landscape.
Conclusions:
The hypothesis that patients' preferences for a category of photographic art are affected by the psychophysical and psychological qualities of the photographs, as well as the patients' moods and characteristics, was supported.
Implications For Nursing:
Nurses can play an active role in helping patients deal with the challenges of long hospital stays and life-threatening diagnoses through distraction and restoration interventions such as viewing photographic images of nature.
Knowledge Translation:
Nurses can use photographic imagery to provide a restorative intervention during the hospital experience. Photographic art can be used as a distraction from the hospital stay and the uncertainty of a cancer diagnosis. Having patients view photographs of nature is congruent with the core nursing values of promoting health, healing, and hope.
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