Music thanatology: Prescriptive harp music as palliative care for the dying patient

Abstract

Music thanatology represents an emerging area in which the raw materials of music, usually harp and/or voice, assist and comfort the dying patient. During prescriptive "music vigils, " the clinician-musician carefully observes physiological changes, cues, and breathing patterns, thereby synchronizing the music to reflect or support the patient's physiology and overall condition. Using data collected from 65 patients, this study was designed to assess the effectiveness of prescriptive harp music on selected palliative care outcomes using a sample of de-identified data forms from past music vigils. Patients were administered a 25- to 95-minute intervention of prescriptive harp music. Data collected included vital signs and observational indicators before (Ti) and after (T2) the vigil. Patients were more likely to experience decreased levels of agitation and wakefulness while also breathing more slowly and deeply with less effort at the conclusion of the music vigil. Results from this study suggest that a prescriptive vigil conducted by a trained music thanatologist could provide an effective form of palliative care for dying patients.

The hospital environment for end of life care of older adults and their families: an integrative review

“…Patients in single rooms have greater control over their environment, including the type and level of noise that they encounter (Mooney 2008). Despite recognizing noise as problematic in hospital environments, this review found no reference to music which may enhance the quality of life in terminally ill patients (Hilliard 2003, Freeman et al. 2006).…”

Role of music in intensive care medicine

“…[5] Therefore, music plays an important role in this situation and music from the patient's youth has the most impact. [1920] This music might prove to be the last source of aesthetic enjoyment and simple happiness for the dying patient. Therefore, these observations support the important role of music in intensive care medicine.…”

Evaluación de un programa de musicoterapia en una unidad de cuidados paliativos. La perspectiva de los cuidadores

“…Coincidiría con la literatura de MT hospitalaria, que se apoya mucho en estos parámetros y empieza a medirlos en UCP; se incluyen en 2 estudios de la revisión Cochrane sobre MT al final de la vida 18 ; en otro, con 200 pacientes, se observa mejoría pre-post en disnea 34 . También destacan la importancia de entrenar al paciente en la respiración (más que distraer) para mejorar la disnea en enfermedad avanzada 43 , o se observan cambios en los patrones respiratorios (se vuelve más lenta y profunda) cuando se compara con la respiración del paciente en la vigilia anterior, sin música 44 .…”