Patient Perceptions of Landscape and Abstract Art in Inpatient Cardiac Units: A Cross-Sectional Survey

The purpose of this exploratory study was to capture the influence of artwork in the hospital corridors within cardiothoracic inpatients.

This study builds on previous research to determine the preferred types of artwork (landscape vs. abstract) in the hospital setting as well as the influence of the art itself.

Participants engaged in surveys with predefined single-choice responses and semistructured one-on-one interviews.

Data were obtained from 45 participants, 15 from each of the units (Landscape, Abstract, or Mixed). A higher percentage of participants reported a positive impact on the Landscape Unit; however, the positive responses on the Abstract and Mixed Units were also notable. Eighty-two percent of responses from patients on the Abstract Unit were positive, as were 82% from the Landscape Unit and the Mixed Unit.

Although landscape was preferred, abstract and mixed art also had positive responses and abstract did not have a negative effect. All genres of art have a place in a hospital; however, strategies should be developed that include more education, engagement, and interpretation of the artwork.