Music Therapy Interventions in Palliative Care: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Palliative care is an interdisciplinary medical approach for people with illnesses that are unresponsive to curative treatment. Music therapy has been gaining ground in this field since the 1970s, with a not-always-standardized range of interventions and musical techniques. Objective: The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze interventions with music therapy and new developments in this area in the field of palliative care. Methods: The primary source of data for this review was the online database Web of Science (WOS). We also used other databases such as Medline and Scopus. A systematic search was performed of the past 6 years following the PRISMA criteria. Results: From a selection of 310 documents, we reviewed 54 completed articles and included 19 studies in the review. The percentage of agreement in the selection of articles was 87.5% and the Cohen Kappa index of inter-rater reliability was 0.727. In 5 of the articles, the musical interventions were not specified. However, in the remaining 14 they were, including new developments such as use of the monochord and the body tambura, and adaptation of the RBL (Rhythm, Breath & Lullaby) method. Conclusions: There has been notable improvement in the specification of musical interventions during music therapy sessions in palliative care. However, articles in this field need to describe how these techniques are carried out and any new developments. All this without forgetting that the patient’s musical preferences are a fundamental aspect when performing music therapy sessions.

Experiences of music therapy in paediatric palliative care from multiple stakeholder perspectives: A systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis

“…7 , 27 , 28 , 30 , 31 , 59 The potential of music therapy to locate the healthy aspects of the child and support their ability to thrive unhindered by their illness or disability 7 , 27 , 28 , 31 , 59 is highlighted in this review. This is explored in the wider paediatric palliative care literature, 58 music therapy in paediatric palliative care literature 2 , 59 , 60 – 63 and music therapy literature in general paediatrics. 18 However, this review builds on these ideas and recounts the capacity of music therapy to provide precious and unique moments of engagement and development, supporting children to develop their identity beyond that of their life limiting condition 7 , 27 , 28 , 30 , 31 and providing moments of celebration and memory making of particular relevance in this environment.…”

“… 66 Wider music therapy and paediatric palliative care literature echo the importance of professional relationships in which trust in perceived expertise and the client’s needs are viewed as aiding the creation of a facilitative working environment. 18 , 60 The potential and responsibility of the therapeutic relationship in music therapy to support parental emotional wellbeing alongside meeting the child’s needs is highlighted in this review. 28 A clear distinction between paediatric and adult palliative care was identified; the necessity for experience in paediatric palliative care was described by families as essential to their trust in the therapist and the work.…”

The Effects of Sounds and Music on Cells and Organisms: A Promising and Developing Area of Research

“…Today, we are discovering the numerous effects it has on the brain and on organic functions. It is used in a care approach (music therapy) (Behzadmehr et al 2020, Billar et al 2020, Buglione et al 2020, Bulut et al 2020, Çelebi et al 2020, Chai et al 2020a, b, Cimen et al 2020, Chan et al 2020, Dai et al 2020, Ernberg et al 2020, Gamboa et al 2020, Garcia Guerra et al 2020, Giordano et al 2020, Gogoularadja and Bakshi 2020, Guo et al 2020, Howlin and Rooney 2020, Johnson and Elkins 2020, Köhler et al 2020, Pérez-Eizaguirre and Vergara-Moragues 2020, Polascik et al 2021, Saraogi et al 2020, Usui et al 2020, Dunbar et al 2021, Yang et al 2021), but its influence on well-being goes beyond the human being (Sambraus and Hecker 1985, Hurnik and Johnson 1997, Kenison 2016, Bowman et al 2017, González-Grajales et al 2019, Kemp 2020). In fact, many studies have described the various effects of music on different organisms (Lemarquis 2009, 2021, Dhungana et al 2018, Exbrayat and Brun 2019, Mayoud and Lemarquis 2019, Pulcrano and di Porzio 2021.…”

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“…Today, we are discovering the numerous effects it has on the brain and on organic functions. It is used in a care approach (music therapy) (Behzadmehr et al 2020, Billar et al 2020, Buglione et al 2020, Bulut et al 2020, Martin et al 2020, Çelebi et al 2020, Chai et al 2020a, b, Cimen et al 2020, Chan et al 2020, Dai et al 2020, Ernberg et al 2020, Gamboa et al 2020, Garcia Guerra et al 2020, Giordano et al 2020, Gogoularadja and Bakshi 2020, Guo et al 2020, Howlin and Rooney 2020, Johnson and Elkins 2020, Köhler et al 2020, Pérez-Eizaguirre and Vergara-Moragues 2020, Polascik et al 2021, Saraogi et al 2020, Usui et al 2020, Dunbar et al 2021, Yang et al 2021), but its influence on well-being goes beyond the human being (Sambraus and Hecker 1985, Hurnik and Johnson 1997, Kenison 2016, Bowman et al 2017, González-Grajales et al 2019, Kemp 2020). In fact, many studies have described the various effects of music on different organisms (Lemarquis 2009, Dhungana et al 2018, Exbrayat and Brun 2019, Mayoud and Lemarquis 2019, Pulcrano and di Porzio 2021.…”