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Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
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Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Published on: January 7, 2020

Music therapy in an integrated pediatric palliative care program

Caprice Knapp1, Vanessa Madden, Hua Wang

  • 1Departments of Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. cak@ichp.ufl.edu

The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care
|August 12, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Music therapy in pediatric palliative care significantly boosts parental satisfaction. Children with life-limiting illnesses and their siblings benefited from this integrated approach, highlighting its value in supportive care programs.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Palliative Care
  • Integrative Medicine
  • Childhood Illness Research

Background:

  • National experts advocate for integrated palliative and medical care for children with life-limiting illnesses.
  • Pediatric palliative care programs often incorporate diverse services, such as music therapy.
  • The Partners in Care: Together for Kids (PIC:TFK) program in Florida offers integrated services.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate parental experiences with music therapy within a pediatric palliative care program.
  • To assess the impact of music therapy on overall program satisfaction for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families.

Main Methods:

  • Survey data collected from parents enrolled in Florida's PIC:TFK program.
  • Analysis of music therapy utilization rates among children with life-limiting illnesses and their siblings.
  • Multivariate analysis to compare satisfaction levels between parents whose children used music therapy and those who did not.

Main Results:

  • Approximately 44% of children with life-limiting illnesses and 17% of siblings utilized music therapy.
  • Parents whose children received music therapy were 23 times more likely to report overall satisfaction with the PIC:TFK program (P < .05).

Conclusions:

  • Music therapy is a valuable component of pediatric palliative care, enhancing family satisfaction.
  • Pediatric palliative care programs should consider integrating music therapy services.
  • Challenges may exist in recruiting and retaining licensed music therapists for these programs.

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