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The demand for less hostile and more humanitarian ways of caring for patients in health care institutions are becoming more widespread and accepted in Japan. In the city of Tsukuba, student groups are leading the way in developing ways in making hospital stays less stressful through arts programs. This paper is the result of direct participation, observation, and assistance by the hospitals, medical staff, and students who are organize hands-on projects and interactive art sessions designed to serve patients directly. The Arts in Hospital program is a useful tool in engaging community participation and communication among students and hospital staff. It provides a learning opportunity to students, and a creative outlet for patients on extended care. Active participation by students has a very positive impact on by giving them practical outlets to exercise their creativity and knowledge, while hospitals benefit through their service, which also cuts costs. Further research is needed to identify the direct benefit to patients, and the future prospects of arts-based hospital projects in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recently, arts and health activities have been introduced into health care, and evidence of their effectiveness has been accumulating. However, few studies have examined this subject in Japan. Methods: In this practice-based report, faculty of a Japanese school of medicine and a university of arts and design collaborated to explore the effectiveness of an arts and health approach in three different patient safety educational programs implemented in different university hospitals in Japan. Results: The results of the programs demonstrated the effectiveness of integrating arts and health into patient safety management. Conclusions: Additional research is required to understand this further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]