Possibility of alleviating difficulties of health and social care professionals engaged in end‐of‐life care through Clinical Art program

Abstract

Background: Health and social care professionals experience high-stress levels during end-of-life care. Various intervention programs have been proposed to reduce stress and prevent burnout among physicians and nurses, including arts-based activities that have shown potential. However, it is unclear how art programs can alleviate stress among healthcare professionals providing end-of-life care. This study aimed to explore the potential of Clinical Art programs to alleviate distress in professionals providing end-of-life care.Methods: Two Clinical Art workshops, held in October and November 2020, were attended by local health and social care professionals. Focus groups were conducted with those who attended and consented to participate in the study. Verbatim transcripts were made, and a qualitative analysis of the text was conducted.Results: Thirteen health and social work professionals participated in the study.Perceived difficulties in end-of-life care included the complexity and uncertainty of end-of-life care services, the approaches to patients and families, and the difficulties due to human aspects of healthcare providers. The positive effects of Clinical Art included pure enjoyment of art, empathic communication with patients and families and the application of an ontological view of human beings, which were identified as reasons for Clinical Art's effectiveness and applicability to care. Conclusions:The results suggest that the Clinical Art program has a psychosocial moderating effect on health and social work professionals and can be used for empathic communication with patients and families in end-of-life care and for applying an ontological view of human beings in caring for patients. K E Y W O R D Sart program, Clinical Art, end-of-life care, ontological view of human beings, qualitative research Health and social work professionals providing end-of-life care experience a range of distressing factors and stressors, including suicidal ideation, increased alcohol and drug use, anxiety, depression, and difficulty coping with the issue of death. 1 Hospice work is considered particularly stressful due to the inherent complexity of providing end-of-life care. 2 Patients requiring end-of-life and palliative care may experience extreme difficulties such as depression, anger, anxiety, severe physical pain, or discomfort, social isolation, financial strain, and family conflicts. [3][4][5] Health and social care professionals must be prepared to respond to the demands of patients and families undergoing such distress. These pressures also become an additional source of stress. Furthermore, health and social work professionals involved in the provision of end-of-life care may experience moral distress due to poor communication among healthcare professionals and ethical dilemmas. [6][7][8] Various studies have been conducted on the attitudes of health and social care professionals toward care of the dying. Positive attitudes of nurses engaged in end-of-life cancer care were associated with age and clinical experien...