The perception of healthcare professionals, through their own personal experiences, of the use of music therapy in hospitalised children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Music therapy is an emerging and useful methodology for improving patient environments within healthcare fields. However, although it has been shown that music therapy interventions with hospitalised children and adolescents have been used for decades with positive effects, there are currently very few studies that specifically describe the perspectives of healthcare professionals regarding the value of music therapy when applied in these patients. OBJECTIVES: To describe the insights of healthcare professionals regarding music therapy, both on a personal level and in terms of its usefulness in the care of hospitalised children and adolescents. DESIGN: This was a qualitative descriptive-exploratory study with focus groups. PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen healthcare professionals. METHODS: In January 2023, two focus groups, containing nine healthcare professionals each, were created to collect data regarding their experiences concerning the effect of music therapy on hospitalised children and adolescents. Before recording their opinions, all these professionals participated in an interactive music therapy session. The thematic analysis in this work was performed using MAXQDA® software. RESULTS: Two main categories emerged: (a) the effects of music therapy on healthcare professionals, and (b) the benefits of music therapy to patients (children and adolescents). CONCLUSIONS: Music therapy was valued positively by healthcare professionals who described the benefits its use has for hospitalised children and adolescents. They also expressed positive viewpoints regarding the use of music therapy to improve their own self-knowledge and self-care. IMPLICATIONS TO PRACTICE: Healthcare professionals may utilise music therapists to improve patient outcomes and reduce the negative effects of hospitalisation.

The relevance of music therapy in paediatric and adolescent cancer patients: a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Music therapy is an emerging and useful methodology to improve the quality of life of children and adolescents with cancer. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this scoping review was to examine the available literature and offer an analysis of the relevance of music therapy in paediatric oncology. We considered the effects of music therapy on children and adolescents with cancer as well as the perception of this population, their families, music therapists, and health professionals regarding the music therapy sessions conducted. Finally, we analysed the characteristics of the distinct types of music therapy interventions reported in the literature. METHODS: In this review, we applied the methodology proposed by Arksey and O'Malley. After performing a comprehensive academic literature database search, 522 articles were identified of which, 27 met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: The results shed light on the use of music therapy as a means to facilitate self-esteem, to improve the physical, emotional, and cognitive aspects related to disease and, to a lesser extent, alleviate their physiological symptoms. Both children and adolescents with cancer were represented in the academic literature. The most prevalent findings described in these studies were the benefits of music therapy in terms of improved psychological well-being and social relationships in this population. CONCLUSIONS: Music therapy interventions are generally well received, not only by children and adolescents with cancer, but also by their families, music therapists, and health professionals. Nevertheless, several gaps were identified in some of the studies we considered, including a lack of specificity regarding the results obtained or music therapy intervention methods used.