Original ResearchArts on Prescription: a qualitative outcomes study
Introduction
This article is based upon in-depth interviews with 10 people who had been interviewed two years earlier about their experiences of participating in an ‘Arts on Prescription’ programme. This work was published previously in this journal.1, 2 When the participants were first interviewed, they were asked if they would be prepared to be interviewed in the future; each gave their consent and this article summarizes the findings from this follow-up research in terms of identifying hard and soft outcomes.3 In the previous research, 16 people took part and they experienced Arts on Prescription positively, both socially and psychologically. A number of participants claimed that they also found new opportunities for the future. The present study sought to discover the extent to which these ‘new opportunities’ came to fruition, and by identifying hard and soft outcomes, the authors were able to make observations about ‘distance travelled’.3
As observed in the previously published research on this programme,1, 2 little has been published in the peer-reviewed literature regarding the effectiveness of Arts on Prescription delivery. The one exception is a summary of a number of reports and accounts from 11 ‘arts and health’ programmes around the UK.4 To the authors' knowledge, no further reports have been published since 2010 directly related to Arts on Prescription programmes. This follow-up study may therefore contribute to the body of knowledge relating to this topic.
In brief, the participatory arts have been widely used in the promotion of health for many years, and the social value of engagement with the arts has been endorsed by the World Health Organization,5 who call for partnerships between health and other sectors to address social and economic problems, and recognize the role of the arts (p. 41), and the Royal College of Psychiatrists,6 who assert that creative activities may promote recovery (p. 28), as do the British Medical Association,7 the Arts Council,8 the Department of Health9 and the new economics foundation in ‘Five ways to wellbeing’.10 In the UK, Arts on Prescription is regarded (as the name suggests) as a form of social prescribing. This is a way of connecting patients of primary care services with community-based sources of support that are usually found in the voluntary sector. There is growing evidence of the effectiveness of such initiatives amongst people with mental health problems.4, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 The aim of this study was to revisit the participants of the previous study, and to determine if continued engagement with the Arts on Prescription programme had any positive longer-term effects on those interviewed.
Section snippets
Methods
The authors' previous paper described a narrative methodology amongst people who had used an Arts on Prescription service. In this follow-up study, the authors were more instrumental in their approach, in that participants were only asked about their experiences since the last time they were interviewed (which was, on average, 24 months prior to the current study). Ethical approval was granted through a relevant ethics committee, and participants gave their consent to be followed-up at the
Results
Hard outcomes are identifiable in the follow-up research but these are relatively few. Both Alana and Nate had initiated their own arts groups, Ivan had gone on to achieve a BTec qualification in visual arts at college, Noah had commenced a Bachelor of Arts course, Alana claimed that she had increased in assertiveness and confidence, Ralph reported improved social contact, and Ron said that he was more motivated.
However, there was variation across the sample. For some participants, Arts on
Discussion
As noted on an individual basis in the vignettes, the narratives collected in this sample offer abundant evidence of distance travelled over the past two years, which can be articulated in terms of both hard and soft outcomes. Interviewees have, over this time, moved on to quantifiable achievements in education and training, narrated breakthroughs in their individual creative practices, taken on new social roles and responsibilities through voluntary work and community projects, and
Conclusion
The findings have illustrated unifying themes from the data whilst respecting the diversity and integrity of individual voices. Given the diversity in the ages, social backgrounds, genders and ethnicities of those who chose to participate in the study, and reasons for their initial referral to Arts on Prescription (ranging from long-term physical and emotional disability, to shorter-term personal life crises, to alcohol and drug dependency), it is to be expected that progress over a two-year
Acknowledgements
The Arts On Prescription is programme of work is delivered by City Arts Nottingham. Originally funded by the New Deal for Communities, it has also subsequently been funded by Lloyds TSB, The Nottingham North & East Consortium, NHS Nottingham City and the Hardship Fund (Office of the Third Sector), managed by the Community Development Foundation.
Ethical approval
Acquired through the NHS Integrated Research Application System and approved by an NHS research ethics committee.
Funding
University of Nottingham.
Competing interests
The first
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