Music Care, a personalized smartphone app for the relief of pain and anxiety: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Digital technologies and emerging innovations are increasingly being used to strengthen national health systems. Based on scientific recommendations, Music Care©, a web app-based personalized music intervention has been developed to provide a collection of culturally diverse original pieces composed and arranged following standardized specifications (U-Sequence). The Music Care app has been utilized in a broad variety of medical conditions and procedures to reduce anxiety and pain in patients with various diseases. OBJECTIVE The aim of this report is to provide a review of the available evidence on the efficacy of Music Care app for the management of pain and anxiety. The specific medical context in which Music Care app has been tested is also examined to identify potential new applications and areas requiring more research. METHODS Original English and French language randomized controlled trials (RCT) using the Music Care app were included and reviewed to summarize evidence on the effectiveness of a music intervention program in medicine. Ongoing RCT were also reported. RESULTS A total of 17 RCTs were included. The majority of studies focused on chronic and acute pain conditions. Compared to the control interventions, Music Care was effective in reducing pain and anxiety in most medical contexts examined, including chronic pain, Alzheimer, and during surgeries or procedures. Significant improvements have also been found on cardio-respiratory activity, depressive symptoms, stress and burnout levels. CONCLUSIONS The Music Care app has proven effective in reducing pain, anxiety, depressive symptoms and stress and burnout symptoms in various medical conditions and procedures. Growing evidence suggests that the Music Care app could provide a useful digital, low-cost, portable and easy-to-implement tool as an adjuvant therapy in a broad scope of clinical situations. Potential new areas of application are discussed. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable as this manuscript is a systematic litterature review