2024-04-302024-04-302024-04-26Garduno Rapp, E., Bosler, K., Crawford, M., Valdez, J., Crothers, C., Cook, A. H., & Farmer, S. (2024, April 26). Promoting employee engagement in the healthcare setting using neuroaesthetics: A pilot initiative [Poster session]. UT Southwestern Annual Celebration of Excellence 2024, Dallas, Texas. https://hdl.handle.net/2152.5/10284https://hdl.handle.net/2152.5/10284Poster session at the 2024 Annual Celebration of Excellence at UT Southwestern Medical Center.The 2024 Annual Celebration of Excellence was held at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, on April 26, 2024.BACKGROUND: Healthcare professionals face numerous stressors in their roles, including heavy workloads and patient care responsibilities, which can impact their mental health. Neuroaesthetics, the scientific study of how contemplating artwork affects the brain, has shown that integrating art into hospital environments can boost morale among patients, staff, and visitors and potentially aid in healing processes and clinical outcomes. Providing activities like engaging with visual arts can promote resilience in the workplace and support overall employee well-being and engagement. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to enhance workplace appreciation and employee engagement by offering a neuroaesthetics experience to 30 healthcare professionals. METHODS: We conducted a study with 30 healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, and administrators, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW). Participants were invited to take part in specialized art tours organized by Women in Art and the UTSW curator. These tours were held in the scientific and clinical buildings of UTSW, allowing participants to directly engage with strategically placed artworks in their professional environment. During the tours, participants received detailed explanations about the artworks, learned about the selection processes, engaged in discussions about color usage, and explored various artistic mediums. After the tours, participants completed an anonymous survey via REDCap to assess their perceptions of the tour's impact on workplace appreciation and well-being. The survey gathered qualitative data through written feedback about their experiences and quantitative data using a rating scale from 0 to 10 to measure overall tour satisfaction. RESULTS: Of the 30 participants 97 responded that the art tour enhanced their appreciation for the workplace and 70% of employees rated their art experience as a 10 on a scale from of 0-10. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that activities promoting resilience in the workplace can enhance employee engagement and foster a positive work environment. To capitalize on these benefits, future efforts should focus on expanding participation in similar initiatives, such as conducting more art tours and increasing awareness about them on campus.enOther