Hospital Feedback

Clane Hospital reported that the leaflets were going down well and they still had some left.
Naas Hospital had the same problem with responses from the busy receptionists as in the doctors’ surgeries. She did an excellent study going round the waiting rooms herself and asking 100 people for their responses face to face. 91% said that they liked the poems. 88% would like to see poetry available in the hospital waiting areas on a permanent basis.

Some of the comments included:
• “Very refreshing in comparison to literature usually present in waiting rooms. Diversity and quality of poems are extraordinary”
• “I like the variety more humour in poems please we need cheering up”
• “Passes the time”
• “Puts one thinking”
• “At the age of 66 some meant a lot to me”
• “Learnt back in school – 80 yrs ago”
• “Different”
• “It eases the mind/relaxing”
• “Reminds me of school”
• “Waste of money”
• “They are lovely”
• “A good read”

She asked for suggestions on improving the waiting room experience.
• “Too much television – not enough magazines for men”
• “Someone to recite the poetry”
• “Drinks machines/water cooler”
• “Ask waiting patients to compose poem/essays themselves!”
• “Faster service-take patients at arranged time.”
• “More poems and short stories”
• “Books of poetry and short stories would help peoples thoughts and feelings and relax them before visiting the doctor”
• “Ask people to compose their own and send in. Also a bit of Art (painting) not all “modern impressionist but real life and landscape”
• “Play area for little children”

Feedback from Surgeries

Feedback from the surgeries was positive in the main. Many of the waiting rooms are out of view of the reception so they couldn’t see exactly how the visitors reacted to the leaflets in the waiting rooms.
Some of the comments from surgeries:
• “Well done. I noticed people taking them away.”
• “They weren’t thrown around. People were reading them.”
• “..very positive. They are reluctant to take them home.”
• “They’ve all gone.”
• “They take them but whatever they do with them, I don’t know.”
• “Nice idea.”
• “Not gone down too well. People are writing on them.”
• “I haven’t read a poem since the leaving cert.”

Out of 22 responses, all but one were positive. One requested another batch of leaflets to replace those already taken home.

Doctors’ Waiting Rooms

There is not one source of a list of doctor’s waiting rooms in Kildare. The list was compiled from various sources including the phone book and internet resources including yourlocal.ie, goldenpages.ie and kildare.ie. This resulted in a list that included some dentists and some doctors who were retired, as well other out of date or inaccurate information.
Each surgery was called, some more than once to catch their limited opening hours, to confirm the data and to explain the project before posting the leaflets.
Uptake
Out of 48 surgeries that were contactable and still working, 44 requested a batch of leaflets. Each waiting room received 20 leaflets limited by the postal cost.

More Blogs quote us in a positive light

Bob and Margery's blog on about.com talks about poetry as public art.
Bob Holman is from New York and Margery Snyder is from San Francisco.

Also in the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA) news

De Papieren Man

We've been referenced in this Dutch blog. International or what!