Museums on Prescription: Exploring the role and value of cultural heritage in social prescribing

越来越多的证据描述了博物馆的社会包容作用，以及博物馆在改善健康和福祉方面所发挥的作用，包括由AHRC资助的先前的研究。这项研究表明，参与博物馆可以提供：积极的社会体验，减少社会孤立；学习和获得新闻技能的机会；平静的体验，减少焦虑；增加积极的情绪，如乐观、希望和享受；增加自尊和认同感；增加灵感和创造意义的机会；积极地分散对临床环境(包括医院和疗养院)的注意力；增加家庭、护理人员和医疗专业人员之间的沟通。考虑到广泛的好处，越来越多的博物馆和画廊正在调整他们的访问计划，以考虑博物馆接触可以带来的更广泛的社会、健康和福祉好处，这并不令人惊讶。从处理博物馆物品到回忆会议，再到互动展览、参观、讲座和参与性艺术和创意活动，博物馆提供了各种积极参与的机会。仅在英国就有2500多家博物馆，其中大部分是免费的，博物馆提供了一种基本未开发的资源，可以支持公共卫生。然而，博物馆在解决社会孤立、身心健康等问题方面处于非常有利的地位，有证据表明，博物馆可以帮助建立社会资本和韧性，并改善健康和福祉。《卫生和社会护理法》(2012年)对今后提供卫生和社会护理服务的方式带来了很大的变化。这些医疗改革的一个关键部分是向“预防胜过治疗”的转变，这一模式将需要多机构方法，并更多地依赖第三部门组织，如慈善机构、志愿组织和社区组织。医疗改革的部分原因是人们意识到，个人的寿命延长了，但生活方式不健康，与年龄和生活方式相关的疾病显著增加，如痴呆症和糖尿病；这给医疗服务(包括NHS)和社会服务带来了更大的压力。研究还表明，在健康方面存在一种“社会梯度”，即来自较贫穷社会经济背景的人的健康、幸福感和社会韧性下降。考虑到以上所述的好处，很容易看出博物馆如何适应这个健康服务的新时代。博物馆部门面临的最大挑战之一是了解如何最好地满足这些需求；在这里，来自健康艺术的经验教训可以帮助博物馆部门了解情况。在过去的几十年里，在强有力的证据基础的支持下，健康中的艺术获得了相当大的支持。许多艺术组织已经与健康和社会护理提供者建立了更正式的关系，提供被称为“社会处方”的计划。社会处方将初级保健中的患者与社区内的当地支持来源联系起来。这项拟议的研究旨在测试一项新的“按处方参观博物馆”计划(MOP)。这项研究将把博物馆与医疗和社会护理提供者联系起来，AgeUK等第三部门组织将利用从基于艺术的社会处方计划中吸取的经验教训，建立两个拖把，一个在伦敦市中心，一个在肯特。通过与卫生/社会护理服务使用者以及博物馆、卫生、社会护理和第三部门专业人员的密切合作，研究将使用一系列技术，包括卫生质量措施、访谈和问卷，以开发一个可供博物馆部门采用的MOP模式，作为一种新的公共卫生干预措施。

There is a growing body of evidence which describes the social inclusion role of museums and the role that museums play in improving health and wellbeing, including previous research funded by the AHRC. This research has shown that engaging in museums provides: positive social experiences, leading to reduced social isolation; opportunities for learning and acquiring news skills; calming experiences, leading to decreased anxiety; increased positive emotions, such as optimism, hope and enjoyment; increased self-esteem and sense of identity; increased inspiration and opportunities for meaning making; positive distraction from clinical environments, including hospitals and care homes; and increased communication between families, carers and health professionals.Given the wide range of benefits it is not surprising that more and more museums and galleries are adapting their access programmes to consider the wider social, health and wellbeing benefits that museum encounters can bring about. From museum object handling to reminiscence sessions, through to interactive exhibitions, tours, talks and participatory arts and creative activities, museums offer a diverse range of opportunities for active engagement. With over 2500 museums in the UK alone, most of which are free, museums offer a largely untapped resource as places which can support public health. Museums, however, are very well placed to address issues such as social isolation, physical and mental ill-health and evidence suggests that museums can help to build social capital and resilience, and improve health and wellbeing. The Health and Social Care Act (2012) is bringing about considerable changes to the way health and social care services will be delivered in the future. A key part of these health reforms sees a shift towards 'prevention is better than cure', within a model which will require a multi-agency approach with an increased reliance on third sector organisations such as charities, voluntary and community organisations. Part of the reason for the health reforms is the realisation that individuals are living longer but with unhealthier lifestyles, with a significant increase in age- and lifestyle-related diseases, such as dementia and diabetes; this places added pressure on health services (including the NHS) and social services. It has also been shown that there is a 'social gradient' in relation to health, whereby individuals from poorer socio-economic backgrounds experience reduced health, wellbeing and social resilience.It is easy to see how museums could fit into this new era of health commissioning considering the benefits described above. One of the biggest challenges facing the museums sector is understanding how best to meet these needs; here lessons from arts-in-health could help inform the museums sector. Over the past few decades arts-in-health has gained considerable support, backed up by a robust evidence base. Many arts organisations have developed more formalised relationships with health and social care providers, offering schemes described as 'social prescribing'. Social prescribing links patients in primary care with local sources of support within the community. The proposed research seeks to test a novel 'Museums on Prescription' scheme (MoP). The research will link museums with health and social care providers, and third sector organisations such as AgeUK, and using lessons learnt from arts-based social prescribing schemes, will set up two MoPs, one in Central London and one regional MoP in Kent. By working closely with health/social care service users, and museum, health, social care and third sector professionals, the research will use a range of techniques, including quality of health measures, interviews and questionnaires, to develop a MoP model which can be adopted by the museums sector as a way to provide a novel public health intervention.