Being in a hospital can be overwhelming and anxiety-producing for both patients and families. While receiving excellent clinical care is clearly essential, the surroundings in which the care is provided can make a difference in the patient experience as well.
Studies have shown that art can have a calming influence on people. Even Florence Nightingale, in her Notes of Nursing, wrote, “People say the effect is only on the mind. It is no such thing. The effect is on the body too.” That’s why art has become a growing presence throughout Penn Medicine.
The annual Celebration of Art and Life Exhibition lines the walls of the atrium level of Penn’s Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and Penn Tower. Launched in 2010, the exhibition includes over 100 framed pieces of art and photography created by staff, patients, and friends, enriching and enhancing the experience of those who pass through.
Staff members in the neuro intensive care unit at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania added 25 works of art around the nurses station and in the waiting area and the consultation room (where families receive critical information about their loved ones). “It contributes to the environment of healing,” said M. Sean Grady, MD, chair of Neurosurgery, “helping our patients and families through the recovery process.”
But a recent initiative at HUP shows that art work doesn’t have to be large to make an impact.
New moms and their newborns are brought from Labor and Delivery to the postpartum unit one floor up via service elevators, rather than visitor elevators. This route helps protect both the moms and babies from germs and possible infections.
While the rationale behind this transport is good, the scenery was not; the service elevator lobby had become home to equipment and boxes. From a patient’s perspective, it was not very welcoming. Two Environmental Services employees -- operations manager Maureen Gremminger and patient experience manager Neena Dinuncio -- joined forces with nurses on the postpartum unit to remedy the situation.
An initial thought to have someone to paint a mural on the wall facing the elevator proved too expensive but then they discovered vinyl decals. “They’re, basically, large stickers but the final product looks like someone painted it,” Gremminger said. The cost: around $200.
Wanting a design to represent birth and life, the group found a ready-made springtime scene decal: a tree filled with leaves and birds. They added a quote: “From small beginnings come great things.” They ordered the design and it arrived … in 500 pieces. The tree alone had 13 pieces! For four hours one afternoon, Gremminger and Dinunzio painstakingly created the design, first pressing the branches into place on the wall, then hundreds of leaves, and, finally, the birds. When it came to putting up the individual words of the quote, Gremminger said, “we eyeballed it. One person held up a word and asked ‘Does it look straight?’ and we went from there.”
The final product is cheerful, bright … and most definitely welcoming.