Exploring the efficacy of music in palliative care: A scoping review

Abstract

Objective There is an increasing recognition of the significance of music as a complementary therapy in palliative care. Limited studies exist on how music is used as a coping mechanism by palliative care patients. Therefore, the purpose of this scoping review was to explore the efficacy of music interventions for palliative care. Method We conducted a literature search between June and November 2019 in the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), British Nursing Index (BNI), and PubMed, which includes MEDLINE. The search identified eight articles which met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results Using thematic analysis, six themes were synthesied to show how music contributes to palliative care. The six themes include Pain management; Relaxation; Happiness and hope; Anxiety and depression management; Enhanced spirituality; and Improved quality of life. These themes reflect the psychological and emotional benefits palliative care patients derive from music therapies. Significance of results Music therapy can be an effective psychosocial approach when managing palliative symptoms through its therapeutic effects on physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Relevância do conhecimento da enfermagem acerca das práticas integrativas e complementares no cuidado paliativo: revisão integrativa

“…Visando, desta forma, a adoção de cuidados integrais ao longo do percurso da doença, contemplando todas as esferas do indivíduo (corpo físico, mente e espírito), independentemente da faixa etária ou do tratamento direcionado à patologia, trazendo a finitude como um processo natural [13][14][15][16][17] .…”

“…Oferecer uma rede de apoio de amparo psicológico por meio da identificação precoce dos sintomas e fatores precursores da ansiedade, estresse, insônia e depressão, também é extremamente importante, além de englobar a humanização e a empatia durante todo cuidado [15][16]18 .…”

Letter to the Editor on “Exploring the efficacy of music in palliative care: A scoping review”

“…Dr. William Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Palliative and Supportive Care Dear Editor, I have read with interest the article entitled "Exploring the efficacy of music in palliative care: A scoping review" by Nyashanu et al (2020). With respect to the authors, I do not believe music therapy can be deemed efficacious based on the results as they state.…”

“…For example, scoping reviews typically don't include quality assessment of publications, as it was the case in Nyashanu et al (2020), but this assessment is essential when formulating recommendations to guide clinical practice (Pham et al, 2014). Even though many studies identified in the scoping review were randomized controlled trials, the lack of quality assessment prevents from making conclusions on efficacy of music therapy in palliative care because the presence of biases that underestimate or overestimate the intervention outcomes was not taken into account (Higgins et al, 2019).…”

“…In short, this letter was written to caution readers about concluding on the efficacy of music therapy in palliative care based on findings by Nyashanu et al (2020), and to reiterate the importance of carefully choosing between a scoping review and a systematic review. I would appreciate it if the authors shared their reasoning on the matter.…”