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Appreciation of art in a workers’ hospital in Chile

¹ Departamento de Bioetica Y Humanidades Medicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile (Medical School University of Chile), Santiago, Chile
² Hospital del Trabajador, Santiago, Chile

Correspondence to:
Dr N Horwitz
Sociologist, Medical School University of Chile, Departmento de Bioética Y Humanidades Medicas, Facultad de Medecina, Universidade de Chile, Santigo, Chile; nhorwitz{at}med.uchile.cl

To assess the impact of selected murals in the Workers’ Hospital in Santiago on different groups of clients, a quantitative and qualitative approach, including a semantic differential scale, was applied. The sample was composed of 120 subjects—40 patients, 40 visitors and 40 hospital staff. Appreciation of the paintings (45–87%) and assessment of the benefit of each painting (56–84%) varied widely. Differences in perceptions according to age, gender and educational level were not significant. Over two-thirds of the sample had a positive appreciation of the murals and considered them beneficial. Differences in perception relate to personal characteristics of the subjects and are also associated with certain characteristics of the murals, such as location, or the structure and style of the work. This study, the first of its kind in Chile, provides grounds for the development of an art-for-health policy in the future, showing that most people are willing to participate by giving their opinions and assessments.

Abbreviations: ACHS, Asociación Chilena de Seguridad; HTS, Hospital del Trabajador (Workers’ Hospital) in Santiago

Keywords: arts in health care; evaluation; quality of care