Critical perspectives on Arts on Prescription
(2023) In Perspectives in Public Health- Abstract
The positive outcomes of engaging in the arts are increasingly reported in the research literature, supporting the use of the arts to enhance individual and community health and wellbeing. However, little attention is given to the less positive aspects of arts engagement. In some countries, healthcare practitioners and link workers can refer service-users experiencing mental health issues to social interventions such as Arts on Prescription (AoP) programmes. This critical review identifies problematic issues across such social prescriptions and AoP, including failures in arts and health projects, participants’ negative experiences, and an absence of ethical guidelines for arts and health practice. Furthermore, it is evident that there... (More)
The positive outcomes of engaging in the arts are increasingly reported in the research literature, supporting the use of the arts to enhance individual and community health and wellbeing. However, little attention is given to the less positive aspects of arts engagement. In some countries, healthcare practitioners and link workers can refer service-users experiencing mental health issues to social interventions such as Arts on Prescription (AoP) programmes. This critical review identifies problematic issues across such social prescriptions and AoP, including failures in arts and health projects, participants’ negative experiences, and an absence of ethical guidelines for arts and health practice. Furthermore, it is evident that there is a lack of awareness and knowledge within healthcare systems, leading to inappropriate referrals, failure to take account of individual preferences, and a lack of communication between the third sector and healthcare services. Significantly, it is also unclear who holds the health responsibility for AoP participants. This article raises more questions than it answers, but for AoP to be effectively embedded in healthcare practice, the issues highlighted need to be addressed in order to safeguard participants and support the effective implementation of programmes more widely.
(Less)
- author
- Bungay, H. ; Jensen, A. LU and Holt, N.
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- in press
- subject
- keywords
- Arts on Prescription, mental health and wellbeing, primary healthcare, referrals, social prescribing
- in
- Perspectives in Public Health
- publisher
- SAGE Publications
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:37170835
- scopus:85159092246
- ISSN
- 1757-9139
- DOI
- 10.1177/17579139231170776
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- aa895e32-dd26-448f-af26-1c105984844c
- date added to LUP
- 2023-08-15 10:18:58
- date last changed
- 2024-04-20 00:34:52
@article{aa895e32-dd26-448f-af26-1c105984844c,
abstract = {{<p>The positive outcomes of engaging in the arts are increasingly reported in the research literature, supporting the use of the arts to enhance individual and community health and wellbeing. However, little attention is given to the less positive aspects of arts engagement. In some countries, healthcare practitioners and link workers can refer service-users experiencing mental health issues to social interventions such as Arts on Prescription (AoP) programmes. This critical review identifies problematic issues across such social prescriptions and AoP, including failures in arts and health projects, participants’ negative experiences, and an absence of ethical guidelines for arts and health practice. Furthermore, it is evident that there is a lack of awareness and knowledge within healthcare systems, leading to inappropriate referrals, failure to take account of individual preferences, and a lack of communication between the third sector and healthcare services. Significantly, it is also unclear who holds the health responsibility for AoP participants. This article raises more questions than it answers, but for AoP to be effectively embedded in healthcare practice, the issues highlighted need to be addressed in order to safeguard participants and support the effective implementation of programmes more widely.</p>}},
author = {{Bungay, H. and Jensen, A. and Holt, N.}},
issn = {{1757-9139}},
keywords = {{Arts on Prescription; mental health and wellbeing; primary healthcare; referrals; social prescribing}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{SAGE Publications}},
series = {{Perspectives in Public Health}},
title = {{Critical perspectives on Arts on Prescription}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/17579139231170776}},
doi = {{10.1177/17579139231170776}},
year = {{2023}},
}