Digital and traditional arts for inpatients with dementia: a feasibility study

Background: Arts-in-health interventions increasingly demonstrate feasibility and effectiveness in improving anxiety and wellbeing outcomes through engagement by hospital inpatients with dementia. We aimed to demonstrate the practicality of digital and traditional group artmaking and understand potential impact on patient anxiety and wellbeing. Methods: The 3-arm controlled study design included control, traditional artmaking and digital artmaking groups. Outcome measures were State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Generic Wellbeing Questionnaire and Observational Measure of Engagement. Results: We measured a decline in anxiety among the traditional art group (n = 30), with no change among the digital artmaking group (n = 30) or control group (n = 30). We measured positive wellbeing among both intervention groups, but not the control group. Engagement attitude was more positive in the traditional group than the digital group. Conclusions: We found that group arts engagement was a feasible and promising intervention. We raise further questions for expanded uses of digital tablets in activities for hospital inpatients with dementia.