This book, written by academics across a range of disciplines, including healthcare and social sciences discusses the increasing use of the arts in healthcare research, which often stems from the recognition that for some topics of investigation, or when dealing with sensitive issues, the usual qualitative or quantitative paradigms are not appropriate. While there is undoubtedly a place for such approaches, arts-based research paradigms (ABR) offers, not only additional study and data-collection tools, but also provides a new and enjoyable experience for those involved.  

The use of the arts as a medium to improve health and wellbeing was well documented by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2019, with over 3,000 studies conducted around the globe on the value of the arts in the prevention of ill health and promotion of health across the life span. This book examines how the arts, in a variety of forms, can be used by those working directly in healthcare settings as well as those involved in research across all health or patient settings. Covering a range of ABR genres, including literature (such as narrative and poetic inquiry); performance (music, dance, play building); visual arts (drawing and painting, collage, installation art, comics); and audio-visual and multimethod approaches, this user- friendly book will appeal to nurses, researchers in nursing and allied healthcare professions, as well professionals in the social sciences, psychosociology, psychology, literature and arts.