Art Interventions to Mitigate Burnout in Health Care Professionals: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Burnout in the medical workforce is a growing global concern. Visual arts–based interventions can be a novel way to mitigate burnout and bolster resilience in medicine. Improving tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty has been associated with decreased rates of burnout in clinicians. No known systematic review exists summarizing the evidence behind the use of visual arts–based interventions to mitigate burnout in clinicians.

The authors conducted a systematic literature review of PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL in November 2022 using the terms: art, medicine, burnout, and uncertainty. The authors review the evidence for the effects of visual arts–based interventions on clinician burnout.

The search identified 58 articles, of which 26 met study inclusion criteria and were assessed by 2 reviewers. These studies reported mixed methods assessments of changes in burnout, empathy, and stress. Overall, visual arts–based interventions promoted empathy, connectedness, and tolerance of ambiguity and had positive effects on burnout; however, some results were mixed.

Visual arts–based interventions to mitigate burnout show promise, and additional research should focus on feasibility and longer-term outcomes.