Before you Begin:
Welcome to the Arts in Healthcare for Rural Communities Toolkit. This toolkit has been designed to assist rural community-based organizations and outside
organization in developing programs and initiatives that engage the arts to address health in rural communities. We recommend that before you begin to use
the tools included in this toolkit, that you review the following Arts in Healthcare for Rural Communities Literature Review. While there are many models
in place for arts in healthcare programs in urban andsuburban healthcare settings and replicable models for outstanding programs, review of the literature
indicates that no models have yet been presented for such programs in rural areas, and that these programs have the potential to contribute to improved
health outcomes in rural communities.
The literature review begins with a discussion of the patient-centered and organizational outcomes associated with arts in healthcare programs. Such
programs utilize the arts including the visual, performing, and literary arts, to enhance the quality of care provided by healthcare institutions; to
improve organizational satisfaction and retention among professional caregivers andstaff; to enhance the environment of care; and to deliver health
information. Several meta-analyses of arts in healthcare programs are reviewed as a means for summarizing the applications and benefits of arts in
healthcare programs. The review then explores health disparities in rural communities and the importance of designing health promotion programs that
address the unique culture of the rural community. This section includes a discussion of the roles of the arts in affecting health-related behaviors and as
a means for health education. Next, the review will present research that documents the importance of planning for program sustainability throughout the
program planning process and will present a useful set of guidelines for achieving sustainability in community health programs. The review will overview
several theories that provide useful foundations for understanding the role of individual meaning as an important aspect of program sustainability. These
theories include:
- Frankyl’s theory of meaning as the ultimate goal of human life;
- Workplace spirituality as defined by several theorists;
- the theory of self-transcendence as defined by Frankyl, Coward, and Reed.
Finally, the review will discuss Appreciative Inquiry as a suitable research methodology for assessing meaning and self-transcendence among program
planners, staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders.
