The effectiveness of receptive music therapy in palliative care

Background: Music therapy has been used as a complementary treatment in palliative care for more than 35 years. Despite some promising findings regarding the improvement of quality of life and pain, empirical evidence is still rare.Objective: The goal of the present study was to examine the effects of a standardized, live music therapy relaxation intervention for terminally ill patients.Methods: A total of 84 patients were randomly assigned to either two sessions of music therapy or a control intervention. Primary outcomes were self-ratings of relaxation, well-being, and acute pain. Heart rate variability (HRV) and blood volume pulse amplitude (BVP-A) were assessed as secondary outcomes.Results: The music therapy group showed significantly greater improvements regarding relaxation and well-being. No significant differences were observed for acute pain. Examination of physiological data revealed a significant increase in HRV and a marginally significant increase in BVP-A.Discussion/Conclusions: Results ind

Music therapy · Palliative care · Physical therapy · Randomized controlled trial · Intensive Care Unit Cognitive Disorders · Medicine · Music Therapy and Health · Nursing · Psychology · Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments · Internal Medicine