Developing and using a computerized database for music therapy in palliative medicine

The purpose of this paper is to describe the music therapy program at the Harry R. Horvitz Center for Palliative Medicine, to present different music therapy interventions that are used with individuals who have terminal illnesses, and to introduce initial findings from a pilot study of the effects of music therapy on an inpatient palliative medicine unit. For the first time, a computerized database has been designed to evaluate clinical practice by tracking music therapy intervention effectiveness on common symptoms. Measurement techniques included visual analogue scales and behavioural observation. Music therapy was shown to have a significant effect on common symptoms in advanced cancer patients, suggesting that it should be included in palliative medicine programs as an adjunct to symptom treatment.