Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2025
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 During Basic Daily Care in Critically Ill Children: A Randomized Crossover Clinical Trial
Sophie Mounier1, Gilles Cambonie2, Julien Baleine1
1Department of Neonatal Medicine and Pediatric Intensive Care, Arnaud de Villeneuve Hospital, Montpellier University Hospital Center, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
Objective:
To assess whether music therapy (MT) is effective to reduce pain during daily personal hygiene care (DPHC), a procedure performed in all patients in a pediatric intensive care unit.
Methods:
Fifty critically ill children were enrolled in a crossover controlled clinical trial with random ordering of the intervention, that is, passive MT, and standard conditions, and blind assessment of pain on film recordings. The primary outcome was variation of the Face Legs Activity Cry Consolability (FLACC) score (range, 0-10) comparing before and during DPHC. Secondary outcomes were changes in heart rate, respiratory rate, and mean arterial blood pressure, and administration of analgesic or sedative drugs during DPHC. Mixed-effects linear model analysis was used to assess effect size (95% CI).
Results:
The median (Q25-Q75) age and weight of the patients were 3.5 years (1.0-7.6 years) and 15.0 kg (10.0-26.8 kg). Consecutive DPHC were assessed on days 3 (2-5) and 4 (3-7) of hospitalization. In standard conditions, FLACC score was 0.0 (0.0-3.0) at baseline and 3.0 (1.0-5.5) during DPHC. With MT, these values were, respectively, 0.0 (0.0-1.0) and 2.0 (0.5-4.0). Rates of FLACC scores of >4 during DPHC, which indicates severe pain, were 42% in standard conditions and 17% with MT (P = .013). Mixed-effects model analysis found smaller increases in FLACC scores (-0.54 [-1.08 to -0.01]; P = .04) and heart rate (-9.00; [-14.53; -3.40]; P = .001) with MT.
Conclusions:
MT is effective to improve analgesia in critically ill children exposed to DPHC.
Trial Registration:
This study was recorded (April 16, 2019) before patient recruitment on the National Library of Medicine registry (NCT03916835; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03916835).
