Can art therapy be helpful in oncological rehabilitation?
Authors: Pedrinis Roberta , Marti Cristopher 
Published: April 2024

Background and aims: Due to the improvements in cancer detection and treatments, the field of oncological rehabilitation is becoming increasingly important. To improve the effectiveness of oncological rehabilitation, mind-body interventions, such as art therapy (AT), may be implemented in the oncological rehabilitation to help patients in understanding and managing the complex psychological and emotional consequences of cancer disease. This study aims to compare the efficacy of a multidisciplinary oncological rehabilitation program combined with an AT group intervention with the efficacy of the conventional program only, in improving physical and cognitive rehabilitation outcomes in cancer patients. Furthermore, it aims to explore participants’ subjective experience and perceived benefits related to AT.
Methods: This study is an observational retrospective study with pre and post intervention measures. It analyzed socio-demographic variables, clinical information and rehabilitation outcomes collected in the context of the National Measurement Plan for Rehabilitation developed by the Swiss National Association for the Development of Quality in Hospitals and Clinics (ANQ). AT perceived benefits from the participant point of view were collected specifically for this study at the end of AT intervention. The Rehabilitation indices (Res) were calculated basing on the Functional Independent Measure (FIM) values to measure the rehabilitation’s efficacy. The final sample consisted of 102 cancer patients who were attending a residential program at the CREO Rehabilitation Clinic, Novaggio (CH). The Intervention Group (IG) was composed by 54 and the Control Group (CG) by 48.
Results: The REs showed a higher improvement in motor and cognitive functioning in the IG compared to the other one, which resulted to be statistically significant. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that AT is not an intervention with a direct impact on cognitive and motor patients’ functional status, as expressed by the traditional rehabilitation indices, but is a therapeutic instrument able to empower patients during the rehabilitation program. In line with this interpretation, most of the participants perceived AT as a “personal growth experience” and reported that AT helped them in improving their perceived “treatment potential”.
Conclusion: AT has a significant direct effect on the traditional rehabilitation outcomes, which are expression of the patients cognitive and motor functional status, and through a “process of patients empowerment”, could have an indirect positive impact on patients functional status in the context of cancer rehabilitation. AT could represent an a-specific therapeutic instrument that could be useful at the same time for patients with different clinical conditions and that can perceive benefits in a wide range of domains. A hospital that implements AT intervention in the oncological rehabilitation setting can help at the same time cancer patients with different clinical profiles, different personal characteristics and needs implementing one feasible, economic, and efficient instrument.