Modern Healthcare

Healing power of the arts

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Scientific research has shown that the arts can sometimes help individual­s dealing with chronic diseases and disorders more than prescribed medicine.

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Aspen Institute are taking that research a step further, saying the arts could fill gaps in some areas of medicine, according to their neuroarts blueprint report released in December.

The initiative, which was launched in 2019 and has a 25-member advisory council of scientists, artists, clinicians and technology pioneers, has a long-term vision for the field of neuroarts so insurers can cover the arts as treatment.

The goal is “where the arts are woven into the mainstream of medicine and preventive care and clinicians can eventually write prescripti­ons for the arts, reimbursed by insurers,” said Megan Howard, spokespers­on for Johns Hopkins’ Internatio­nal Arts + Mind Lab (IAM Lab) Center for Applied Neuroaesth­etics. “It will take likely more than five years to realize this vision, but the blueprint initiative will live on as long as necessary to achieve this.”

The researcher­s say neuroarts could also benefit the economy and “could be a game-changer for advancing the field,” according to the report. To test this hypothesis, the researcher­s asked KPMG to prepare an independen­t economic analysis of one of their strategies: music engagement to ease symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. KPMG found that music as a treatment cost $816 per year compared with pharmaceut­ical costs of $3,600, according to the analysis.

The neuroarts initiative’s report is the culminatio­n of a two-year analysis that found arts and aesthetic experience­s impact human behavior differentl­y than any other medical interventi­on, but they need cohesive structure to develop the field further. Researcher­s encouraged more community-based engagement and leadership.

Ruth Katz, executive director of Aspen Institute’s Health, Medicine and Society program, said in the virtual launch event that arts practition­ers need to be empowered “as equal partners with scientists and ensure their voices are heard. And we need to foster more collaborat­ions in healthcare, community and workplace settings where the arts can be fully integrated into health-related activities.”■

 ?? ?? The NeuroArts Blueprint released in December has a five-year action plan, but a long-term vision for the field of neuroarts so insurers can cover the arts as treatment.
The NeuroArts Blueprint released in December has a five-year action plan, but a long-term vision for the field of neuroarts so insurers can cover the arts as treatment.
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