UMD News Releases

The Public is Cordially Invited

Presentation: "Beyond Traditional Treatment: Establishing Art as Therapy. Results from an Italian Research Project."

Date: Thursday, May 27

TIme: 3:00p.m. to 4:00p.m.

Location: 210 Sports & Health Center (SpHC) at UMD

Presenter: Elaine Poggi, Founder and President of the Foundation for Photo/Art in Hospitals, Inc.

About The Foundation for Photo/Art in Hospitals:

Uses research and evidence-based design to place nature photographs in hospitals to give comfort and hope to patients and their families, visitors, and caregivers. Studies show that nature art has a beneficial effect on relieving a patient's stress and anxiety.

About The Presentation:

The purpose of this study-the first of its kind in Italy-is to appraise cancer patients' perceptions of the hospital environment before and after the placement of 30 nature photographs in their treatment area. The photos, donated by the Foundation for Photo/Art in Hospitals, are images of landscapes, Tuscan hillsides, marine life, tropical beaches, flowers, and animals. The supposition is that the viewing of nature photography can have a positive impact on patients. The first phase of the research was the construction and validation of "The Test of Perception of the Hospital Environment," created expressly for this research. The second phase of the research was the testing of 345 cancer patients from three cancer centers throughout Italy-Ancona, Messina, Perugia-while they received treatment. Three other psychological tests were also administered: SF-36 (Health Survey Questionnaire), TCI-R (Temperament and Character Inventory), and HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). The results were presented on March 26, 2010 in Florence, Italy at the conference "Oltre le cure tradizionali... L'arte come terapia" coordinated by the Italian Oncological Group of Clinical Research, and Eli Lilly Italia, which sponsored the research.