The Role of Art in a Paediatric Healthcare Environment from Children's and Young People's Perspectives

Abstract

Artwork is now regularly stipulated as a requirement in design briefs for hospitals. The resulting artwork can be a collection of commissions, or a seamless extension of the interior design concept. In the case of paediatric hospitals ‘art’ which is simply a graphic treatment applied to key surfaces throughout the hospital environment, is unlikely to function in the ways that children and young people have identified as being valuable in their experience of hospitalisation. This environmental feature will be used to reveal some of the key components of a hospital environment involved in children's feeling of well-being from their perspectives.