NCT02791048

Music Therapy for Palliative Care Patients

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Music Therapy in Improving the Quality of Life of Palliative Care Patients: a Randomised Controlled Pilot and Feasibility Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 51 (actual)
• Sponsor: Queen's University, Belfast · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study aims to find out if music therapy is effective in improving the quality of life of palliative care patients. It will do this by comparing palliative care patients who receive music therapy with those who do not receive music therapy.

Detailed description

Quality of life (QOL) is very important for palliative care patients, and includes the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of a patient's life. Music therapy is often used to help palliative care patients and there is some evidence that music therapy helps improve their quality of life, especially in relation to reducing levels of pain. Many palliative care patients and their families have also said that music therapy is helpful. However, more research is needed to help healthcare providers and funders decide if music therapy really is a useful treatment for patients receiving palliative care.

Conditions

• Palliative Care

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Music therapy	Music therapy is a clinical intervention conducted by qualified therapists who use shared music-making and improvisation to engage and interact with the client (s) in order to work towards specific therapeutic objectives. This is the aim of sessions, rather than the teaching or utilising of any musical skills, and clients do not have to have any prior musical training or experience whatsoever in order to participate in and benefit from music therapy. The intervention is client-led and the therapist will guide the patient in a range of strategies and activities appropriate to the therapeutic aims in place. Sessions can be individual, or family members can also be involved if appropriate and desired.

Timeline

• Start date: 2016-04-01
• Primary completion: 2017-06-01
• Completion: 2017-10-01
• First posted: 2016-06-06
• Last updated: 2019-03-21

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United Kingdom