Harnessing the power of empathy, visual art and patient narratives to improve health literacy: An exploratory study.

Autor: Beck T; Ballina District Hospital, Northern New South Wales Local Health District, Ballina, New South Wales, Australia., Giese S; TAFE NSW Faculty of Arts Creative Design & Ideation, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia., Khoo TK; Ballina District Hospital, Northern New South Wales Local Health District, Ballina, New South Wales, Australia.; School of Medicine & Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.; Graduate School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals [Health Promot J Austr] 2024 Jul 01. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jul 01.
DOI: 10.1002/hpja.893
Abstrakt: Issue Addressed: Health-related information can often be overwhelming for consumers, frequently infused with complex medical terminology that is difficult to understand and apply. Historically empathic connection, art and narratives have played key roles in communicating with diverse populations however collectively have received little recognition as a modality to improve health literacy. This study aimed to investigate the empathetic connection between art and patient narratives with a view to improve health literacy in the wider community.
Methods: Nine recently discharged patients and one carer from a regional hospital were paired with 10 tertiary visual arts students for interview. Each narrative was transformed into visual art and exhibited at a community art gallery. The Empathy Quotient (EQ), Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and self-completed questionnaires assessed empathy and functional well-being. Health literacy was evaluated through community response surveys post-exhibition exposure.
Results: Student artist participants' EQ Cognitive Empathy (EQ-CE) scores were associated with 'Emotional Reactivity' (EQ-ER) (p = .038). SF-36 scores revealed that role limitations due to physical health and emotional problems had the greatest impact on patient/carer participant's life at the time. The SF-36 General Health domain was associated with the EQ-ER total score (p = .044). Exhibition surveys revealed that 96.9% of observers had learnt something new about illness or injury. SO WHAT?: Although a relatively small study, our findings suggest patient/carer narratives and visual art is a simple yet effective modality for health service organisations to facilitate affective learning and improve health literacy when engaging with consumers.
(© 2024 The Author(s). Health Promotion Journal of Australia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Health Promotion Association.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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