Amplified Cardiopulmonary Recordings: Music Therapy Legacy Intervention with Adult Oncology Patients and Their...

Amplified cardiopulmonary recording (ACPR) is a unique music therapy intervention implementing recorded heartbeats with meaningful music. Although its clinical application has grown, there is limited research on the acceptability and usage by bereaved families. The research objective was to understand the frequency recipients engaged with ACPR after their loved one died. A survey was undertaken with relatives of 191 adult patients who had participated in ACPR. Bereaved loved ones of adult oncology patients who received care at the Norton Cancer Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Out of the 191 participants, 73% of family members responded, 49% reported listening to their recording frequently, 31% listened to the recording at least once after receiving it, and 20% reported never listening. ACPR appears to have moderate acceptability and usage among bereaved family members, especially when created in the context of ongoing music therapy treatment. We recommend that this process-based music therapy intervention be studied further and offered proactively.