Resources & references

This study aims to assess the effectiveness of music therapy versus standard care alone or standard care in combination with other therapies for improving psychological, physiological and social outcomes among adult patients in any palliative care setting. Findings suggest that music therapy may be effective for helping to reduce pain in palliative care patients. 

This brief entry is a summary of a peer-reviewed article. It explains succinctly what is music therapy in palliative care. 

The main objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of music therapy to manage pain and anxiety during labor. The primary outcomes were measured by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Music therapy seems to have beneficial effects on pain intensity and anxiety during labor, especially for women giving birth for the first time. 

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of a single music therapy session to reduce pain in palliative care patients. This research validates that a single music therapy intervention incorporating therapist-guided autogenic relaxation and live music was effective in lowering pain in palliative care patients.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of music therapy support groups (MTSG) on physical, psychological, and social functioning of cancer patients and caregivers. A mixed-methods approach was used, including an experimental, randomized, controlled trial and qualitative data from participant comments. The experimental group demonstrated statistically significant changes pre- to post-session in (a) pain in three sessions; (b) mood, stress, and anxiety in all six sessions; and (c) quality of life in two sessions.

This video (in Spanish) includes an interview of Dr. Mark Ettenberger who works as a music therapist in Colombia. He explains what music therapist is, who can benefit, how it can be applied, and what are its therapeutic benefits.

An article about Katie Fitzpatrick, who has dedicated her education and career to music therapy and is blazing a trail in the treatment of chronic pain.

This book chapter describes the use of music therapy for pain management. Types of pain are discussed, along with needs and resources for this client population. The main goal of music therapy for pain management is clearly stated: “providing a nonpharmacological technique to decrease the patient’s pain perception”. Criterias for referral and assessment are provided, and an overview of both receptive and active methods and techniques, along with specific guidelines are enumerated. 

Cette étude rapporte que la musicothérapie (MT) pourrait être utilisée comme thérapie adjuvante en soins intensifs pédiatriques (SIP), pour l’anxiété et la gestion de la douleur. L’objectif de cette étude était d’examiner la perception de la musicothérapie par des parents d’enfants en SIP d’un hôpital universitaire. L’étude corrobore les potentiels positifs de la MT en SIP rapportés dans d’autres études:la musicothérapie pourrait être utilisée pour promouvoir le bien-être psychologique des parents et des enfants. 

The primary purpose of this study was to understand family members’ perceptions of music therapy experienced by a relative in palliative medicine or hospice. Patient self-reported scales and music therapist assessment of change were also investigated. Patients reported statistically significant improvement in pain, depression, distress, and mood scores. Family members of patients in palliative medicine and hospice settings reported an immediate positive impact of music therapy on the patient and on themselves.

This article explores how music therapy can serve as a self-care management resource for improving self-efficacy and mediating the relationship between vulnerability factors and health outcomes for patients with sickle cell disease. Accordingly, it is important for appropriate patient reported outcomes to be used within practice and research to capture these important domains and improve our understanding of how music therapy can help individuals with chronic pain achieve meaningful outcomes.

This article provides recommendations for music therapy practice and research among individuals with chronic pain using sickle cell disease as an exemplar condition. The research on music therapy for chronic pain management has shown that music therapy is particularly helpful in improving people's pain-related self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is well recognized to play an essential role in effective management of chronic pain.