Arts-based methods in health research: A systematic review of the literature

Abstract

The arts are valued by most societies for a variety of reasons. From a health perspective they have been valued primarily for therapeutic purposes. Subsequently, the benefit of the arts in health research is increasingly evident. Although the arts have been used as a research method in other disciplines, their use in health is much more recent. There is no clear understanding of the kind of arts or the way the arts have been used as a research method. This systematic review of the literature was conducted to fill this knowledge gap. We undertook the review to determine what constitutes arts-based methods in health research and how have these methods been used. We searched eight databases using different combinations of several keywords. We used content and thematic analysis to analyze our results. Thirty studies met our criteria for inclusion. Visual arts were the most common, followed by performance arts, and literary arts. The purposes of using arts in health research were primarily for knowledge production and knowledge translation. Artistic methods are a useful technique for both knowledge production and translation purposes, albeit to a limited degree. We will discuss our findings in terms of trends, methodological issues and theoretical issues. Further research is needed to advance this area of knowledge.