Visitors' Experiences of the Art Gallery at a Teaching Hospital

Purpose: In Taiwan, the establishment of public art or art exhibitions and performances has become a public relations trend of large hospitals. To meet the public's needs, medical facilities provide patients with not only top-quality medical treatment, but also a comfortable and relaxing hospital environment to facilitate recovery from disease and shorten the recovery period. The purpose of this study was to investigate the emotional effect on individuals after they had visited the Taipei Medical University Hospital (TMUH) Charity Gallery and to analyze their satisfaction with and viewing behavior with regard to the exhibition. Methods: We investigated the effect of the Charity Gallery art exhibition at TMUH by questionnaire survey to understand whether the enhanced environmental appearance can cause positive emotions while patients are using the healthcare service. Results: This study discovered that for half the patients (51%), their motive in visiting the Charity Gallery was to pass time while waiting for their appointment. Most visitors (80%) felt a significant sense of peace after visiting the gallery; 73% of visitors felt either less stress or pleasure. Further results showed that overall satisfaction with the exhibition reached 70%, with " exhibition type" receiving a level of satisfaction of 74%. Conclusion: This study suggested that art exhibition could be an acceptable service for patients that would not only promote the hospital's added value services, but also satisfy patients' sensory and spiritual needs. The results of this survey may serve as a reference for the promotion of art exhibitions in medical facilities.