Effects of arts and medicine salon events on wellness of participants.

Abstract

Context: In the early 20th century artists and scientists would gather together for mutual fellowship in salons. These events would allow sharing of ideas and experiences and led to new creative endeavors. This type of interaction may lead to increased wellness. Primary care specialties see large volumes of patients which would benefit from physicians who are well versed in the humanities. These salon events may lead to increased humanities understanding as well as increased wellness. Objective: We sought to recreate these events in a 21st century environment. With the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, we switched events to a virtual format and chose to evaluate the impact of the events on the wellness of the participants. Study Design: We used a mixed methods survey to identify the impact and effectiveness of the virtual events. The survey used a combination of scaled and open-ended questions to evaluate the impact of the events and the pandemic on participants. Setting: 7 Arts & Medicine Salon events were held, 3 in person and 4 virtually. We analyzed the data from the virtual events. Population: Academic & Community Physicians, Scientists, Artists and learners training in those professions. Outcome Measures: We asked participants to rate and describe the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on their wellbeing as well as the impact and effectiveness of the events both before and after the start of the global pandemic. Results: Both qualitative and quantitative data demonstrated a positive effect from the events on participants. The qualitative data was very strongly in favor of the events being helpful. The quantitative data was less exuberant. For some participants the events were felt to be integral to their ability to connect to the arts and other like-minded participants and were successful in mitigating the negative wellness effects of Covd-19. Conclusions: Learners and Professionals reported positive outcomes in both health and wellness from attending the virtual art and medicine salon events. There is a need for further research on the subject and experimentation with the events. This study was supported by a NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award Grant (UL1 TR002366) awarded to the University of Kansas Medical Center.