Abstract
Strict precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic left patients isolated during already stressful hospital stays. Research indicates that listening to music recruits regions in the brain involved with social interaction and reduces feelings of loneliness. We formed a team of clinicians and clinical musicians to bring music to the bedside, as “psychological first aid.” Our goal was to reduce feelings of anxiety and isolation in patients admitted to the Northwestern Memorial Hospital's neurosciences unit. Participants were offered 30–40-min live music sessions over FaceTime by a violist in consultation with a music therapist and a certified music practitioner. Music used for the interventions was personalized. Participants were evaluated with the Music Assessment Tool where they indicated their musical preferences and music to which they objected. Following the intervention, participants answered a questionnaire assessing how music impacted their emotional state based on a 1–10 Likert scale. Scores were then averaged across all patients and were calculated as percentages. Eighty-seven sessions were completed during a 3-month period. Despite different degrees of disability, most patients engaged aesthetically with the music. The likelihood to recommend (LTR) for the program was 98%; participants tended to highly agree that the intervention improved their emotional state (92%); that it provided a pleasurable experience (92.4%); and that it reduced their stress and anxiety (89.5%). This pilot project showed that the telemusic intervention was feasible for our neurosciences patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results are consistent with previous in-person hospital-based music interventions and highlight the importance of such programs when in-person interventions are not possible. This pilot project serves as a prelude to further investigate mechanisms by which music interventions can support admitted neurology patients.
Highlights
COVID-19 arrived in the United States in January of 2020
Before starting the intervention for the hospital patients, the music practitioner intern (MPI), music therapist (MT), and neurologist piloted the use of video-based telemusic interventions to test its effectiveness in a small group of individuals
clinically designed improvisatory music (CDIM) consists of improvised music with pitches that are within the human vocal range at 131–524 Hz, slow tempi within 50–70 beats per minute, simple rhythms with no syncopation, interspersed with 10–15 s intervals of silence
Summary
The first community-based cases were documented in early March and by mid-March rapid spread of the virus prompted some states to issue stay-at-home orders. Logistical issues to contain the infection, including the shortage of essential supplies, travel restrictions, business closures, individual factors such as inability to follow rules and regulations, and insufficient information about the virus created significant psychological distress as the number of cases skyrocketed [1]. By mid-March, following increasing cases in Illinois, strict stay-at-home orders were issued [2]. PFA is delivered by disaster response workers who provide early assistance, including mental health professionals, religious professionals, disaster volunteers, and qualified music practitioners [5]. Music provides a non-verbal means to establish self-regulation and reduce a stressed physiological state [5, 6]
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