Abstract
BackgroundIn recent years, music therapy is increasingly used in palliative care. The aim of this pilot study was to record and describe the subjective experiences of patients and their relatives undergoing music therapy with a Body Tambura in a German hospice and to develop hypotheses for future studies.MethodsIn a qualitative interview pilot study, data collection and analyses were performed according to the methodological framework of grounded theory. We included German-speaking patients, or relatives of patients, receiving end of life care in an inpatient hospice setting.Results11 persons consisting of 8 patients (age range 51–82 years, 4 male and 4 female) and 3 relatives were treated and interviewed. All patients suffered from cancer in an advanced stage. The most often described subjective experiences were a relaxing and calming effect, sensations that the body feels lighter, and the generation of relaxing images and visualizations. Family members enjoyed listening to the music and felt more connected with the sick family member.ConclusionPatient reported beneficial aspects. The small sample size could be seen as a limitation. Assessment instruments measuring relaxation, stress, quality of life and should be included in future quantitative studies.
Highlights
In recent years, music therapy is increasingly used in palliative care
A recent Cochrane review on music therapy in cancer patients [4] aimed to compare the effects of music therapy or music medicine interventions with both standard care alone and standard care paired with other interventions
The results indicated that music interventions may have beneficial effects on anxiety, pain, mood, and quality of life in cancer patients
Summary
Music therapy is increasingly used in palliative care. The aim of this pilot study was to record and describe the subjective experiences of patients and their relatives undergoing music therapy with a Body Tambura in a German hospice and to develop hypotheses for future studies. In recent years music therapy has been used increasingly in palliative care, especially in treatment of cancer patients [1]. One interview participant reported that he observed an agitated reaction of his wife when the instrument was put on her body during the treatment When asked about their subjective experiences all patients described the treatment in a positive way. Most patients would recommend the therapy to other patients in a palliative care setting
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