Patient Satisfaction and Benefits of Music Therapy Services to Manage Stress and Pain in the Hospital Emergency Department.

The goal of the study was to gather data about patient satisfaction with and benefit from music therapy (MT) services to inform development of a model of MT service in emergency departments (EDs). The objectives were to compare patient satisfaction scores on pain control, ED recommendation, and staff care of ED patients who received MT with patients who did not receive MT services; to examine the benefit of MT services to manage ED patients' stress and pain; and to gather information about staff members' perceptions about MT services for ED patients. Over 1,500 patients engaged in MT with a board-certified music therapist during the 3-year term of the study. Treatment included music-assisted relaxation, therapeutic listening/musical requests, musical diversion, song writing, and therapeutic singing. Using items from the Press Ganey ED Survey to measure patient satisfaction of 90 MT patients who received and responded to the survey with a matched control group, no statistically significant differences in patient satisfaction were found. Significant improvements were seen in both stress and pain for MT patients, and the benefit of MT in procedural support was explored. A staff questionnaire revealed that 92% of respondents would be likely to recommend MT sessions for future patients, and 80% indicated that the music therapist's practice improved their caregiving experience. All MT patients indicated that they would request future MT in the ED. The study provides important information for the development of MT programming in hospital EDs.

Effects of music therapy on patient satisfaction and health-related quality of life of hospital inpatients.

The matched-case control study investigated the effect of inpatient music therapy (MT), including the gift of a compact disc, on patient satisfaction and quality of life. Overall rating of the hospital and likelihood to recommend it (n = 210), and SF-12 quality of life scores (n = 160) were compared between groups. Although no significant difference in overall hospital rating was found, MT patients' recommendation scores were higher (p =.02). The MT patients had marginally better quality of life pain scores (p =.06). Integration of MT with inpatient care can improve the likelihood that patients will recommend the hospital and may impact their perception of pain.

Effects of music therapy and music-assisted relaxation and imagery on health-related outcomes in diabetes education: a feasibility study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the feasibility study was to compare the effects of music-assisted relaxation and imagery, administered via compact disc recording (MARI CD) without therapeutic intervention, to the effects of music therapy (MT), facilitated by a board-certified music therapist, on selected health outcomes of patients enrolled in diabetes self-management education/training (DSME/T). METHODS: A 3-group, parallel, randomized controlled trial with 199 patients, aged 30 to 85 years with type 1, type 2, or prediabetes was employed. Patients were enrolled in a study from 2 hospital sites and randomly assigned to: DSME/T alone, DSME/T plus MARI CD, or DSME/T plus MT. The MARI CD included researcher-selected music and spoken suggestions, while MT included therapeutic experiences with personally preferred relaxing and energizing music. Outcome measures included blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C), body mass index (BMI), trait anxiety, state anxiety, and stress. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences among the 3 conditions in blood pressure, A1C, BMI, trait anxiety, or stress. Significant changes over time were evident in the MT condition from pre- to post-each session in systolic blood pressure, state anxiety, and stress. Blood pressure changes were compared pre- to postprogram for those patients with a comorbidity of hypertension between DSME/T alone and a combined music intervention group (MT and MARI CD). It was found that the music intervention group had a significantly larger decrease in systolic blood pressure. Themes derived from patient narratives further informed the data. CONCLUSIONS: The study results support the relationship between DSME/T and improvement on all measured outcomes except blood pressure. Results suggest the feasibility of integrating MARI and MT with DSME/T to potentially lower systolic blood pressure of patients with diabetes and a comorbidity of hypertension. Collaboration between diabetes educators and board-certified music therapists is recommended.

Effects of music therapy on health-related outcomes in cardiac rehabilitation: a randomized controlled trial.

This study tested effectiveness of music therapy in improving health-related outcomes of cardiac rehabilitation patients. Using a randomized, controlled trial with follow-up, the study was conducted in an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program in Ohio. Sixty-eight of 103 recruited patients, 30 to 80 years of age, completed the protocol through posttreatment. Physiological and psychological outcomes were measured. Cardiac rehabilitation patients were randomly assigned to cardiac rehabilitation only or to music therapy plus cardiac rehabilitation. Music therapy included musical experiences, counseling, and Music-Assisted Relaxation and Imagery. The null hypothesis of no differences in health-related outcomes between cardiac rehabilitation patients who experienced cardiac rehabilitation with and without music therapy was rejected due to changes in systolic blood pressure pre to post-treatment. Interpretation of changes at 4 months posttreatment in anxiety, general health, and social functioning are limited, due to small sample sizes at follow-up. Pre to post-music therapy session improvements were also reported. Findings suggest that some health-related outcomes may be affected positively by participation in music therapy in addition to cardiac rehabilitation. Attrition contributed to limitations in statistical power.

The effects of music therapy in cardiac healthcare.

Music therapy has been applied with patients who present with acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft, and other cardiac conditions. Music therapists integrate their techniques into cardiac care units, often treating patients who require assistance in coping with stress. This article reviews the research supporting the use of music as therapy and offers case examples to illustrate a variety of clinical methods.