Can museums heal ills better than pills?
Doctors in Britain tried out this experimental approach a decade ago. Now, experts in Canada, Belgium and France are testing the same method, giving patients museum visits free of charge to counter stress, depression and other mental illnesses.
British doctors were pioneers in social prescribing, or prescribing social or cultural activities to improve someone’s health. This approach is now a fixed component of the state-funded National Health Service (NHS).
Now, visits to art galleries and museums are firmly anchored in the healthcare system with a measurable effect, leading to 37 per cent fewer visits to the doctor and a 27 per cent reduction in hospital admissions, says the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance, a nationwide network of creative health initiatives, in data from 2023.
