A Nurse’s Reflection on Guided Art Observation
As a member of the CVAH Visual Arts Advisory Committee, I was invited to observe a two-hour program for a group of Brigham & Women’s Hospital Junior Residents at the Harvard Art Museums. I was grateful and gladly accepted.
My experience from a lengthy career in Oncology Nursing and my enthusiasm for "the Arts" were identities brought to this observation. The lens of viewing from a Nursing perspective felt most comfortable for me in a group where I felt akin to the Residents.
Brooke DiGiovanni Evans, Ed.M. (Director of Visual Arts Education) led the group with exceptional skill through three exercises and employed Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) for each component. Discussions were facilitated with expertise encouraging all participants to share opinions. The program concluded with a debriefing.
When approaching each exercise, we would come into circular formation for optimum viewing. It was reminiscent of coming together for daily “patient rounds" in the hospital, on clinical care units, and around bedsides where team members from different experiences gather and share a range of viewpoints efficiently then discuss. I likened the facilitator's role to an attending physician's role which ensures inclusivity and guides discussion while teaching and debriefing.
While observing this single session, I realized that each of us brought varied perspectives and revealed implicit biases. When discussions took place, the possibility for influencing each other’s thoughts was present. The potential to enlighten, accept alternative considerations, and broaden our viewpoints seemed to have occurred as evidenced by comments in post exercise discussions. Debriefing revealed new knowledge had been integrated and the strength of socializing was perceptible.
I have seen similarities in the way Health Care Providers (HCPs) communicate during “patient rounds” and this guided art observation. I wondered if the three questions (What is going on in this painting? What do you see that makes you say that? What more can we find?) asked in VTS might be integrated in “patient rounds” to gain more viewpoints for discussion. The potential result might be increased accuracy and efficiency when assessing and diagnosing.
Reflecting on HCPs and their competing demands on time made me think that these visual arts based workshops provide an opportunity for stress reduction in learning by simply changing the traditional hospital learning environment to Museums. These art programs could be considered as integrative options for promoting self-care. Designating time to silence pagers and other notifications that interrupt attention is challenging, but is feasible when educational sessions are moved off-site away from clinical environments. Opportunities to socialize and learn together in alternative settings may be conducive to team building, stress relief, and amusement.
As we embrace technological advancements in health care, preservation of the Arts and Humanities are at stake. Humanities are critically important to preserve and promote patient relationships in an era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Medicine where virtual visits, efficiency, and administrative demands all compete for our time. Maximizing quality of patient encounters is paramount during this era where time constraints potentially impact delivering care safely, efficiently, and economically.
I would encourage those who have participated in a workshop to share their experience in this forum. Please consider this a call to action. Your words may excite, enlighten and inspire future attendees. The benefits of visual arts-based education may have positive effects on social connections with peers, communication skills with patients, and satisfaction levels when providing care. My wish is for more HCPs to access future CVAH visual arts based programs and embrace the challenge of learning something new to complement professional satisfaction while having fun with colleagues!
Chris Coakley, MPH, RN, OCN-Emeritus, Retired Staff, Dana Farber Cancer Institute