Healing ceilings: A collaborative exploration of pediatric preferences in ceiling tile artwork

While incorporating artwork within healthcare settings can improve health outcomes, limited research exists to guide art selection for pediatric patients. This study aimed to improve an ongoing collaboration between a healthcare system and local art museum through which community members painted 100 custom ceiling tiles for display in pediatric clinical areas. The researchers sought to determine if artwork content and/or color tone impacted patient experience and/or preference of artwork.

Nursing directors surveyed 65 patients within the healthcare system's children's hospital on their experiences and preferences of ceiling tile artwork. Patients in "young" (4-7 years), "middle" (8-11 years), and "older" (12-17 years) age groups were asked whether they felt "better," "worse," or "no different" when viewing images within each of six artwork content categories and three color tone categories. Patients who felt "better" were invited to complete the Five Degrees of Happiness Scale to determine preference of artwork content and color tone.

Overall, patients responded positively to viewing the images. The most positive experience resulted from artwork featuring realistic nature, realistic animal, and cartoon content. Patients tended to have a more positive experience of and greater preference for bright color tones. Younger children reported the best experience overall.

Pediatric patient feedback informed the design and installation of ceiling tiles toward greatest patient experience. Patients' enthusiasm to participate in this study suggests the benefits of involving children's feedback in healthcare design include relational aspects of care.