Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 15, 2026
Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
Feasibility and Acceptability of Remote Music Therapy for Cognitively Impaired Children Receiving Palliative/Complex
Terrah Foster Akard1, Mary S Dietrich1,2, Mary Jo Gilmer1
1Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Insights
Home-based remote music therapy (RemoteMT) is a feasible and acceptable intervention for children with medical complexity (CMC) and their families, showing promise for improved child and parent outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Palliative Care
- Child Health
- Mental Health
Background:
- Music therapy is a palliative care approach that can improve outcomes for children with medical complexity (CMC), their parents, and families.
- CMC are often excluded from specialist services due to cognitive and communication challenges, and limited accessibility in non-metropolitan areas.
- Many CMC are homebound and cannot access traditional interventions, necessitating alternative delivery methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the feasibility and acceptability of a home-based, remote music therapy (RemoteMT) intervention.
- To assess the impact of RemoteMT on cognitively impaired CMC receiving palliative or complex care, their parents, and families.
Main Methods:
- A one-group pre-/post-intervention study design was employed.
- Seventeen dyads of CMC and their parents participated in the study, with all activities conducted in their homes.
- Parents completed outcome measures at baseline and six weeks post-intervention to assess child, parent, and family outcomes.
Main Results:
- The RemoteMT intervention was found to be feasible in terms of recruitment, data collection, and delivery.
- Improved child outcomes, including reduced physical stress (p = 0.027), were observed.
- Positive trends in parent and family outcomes, such as increased family cohesion (p = 0.095), were noted.
Conclusions:
- Remote music therapy (RemoteMT) is a feasible and acceptable intervention for cognitively impaired CMC and their parents.
- The intervention shows promise for improving child and parent outcomes in palliative and complex care settings.
- Further large-scale efficacy testing is recommended to confirm these findings.
Background:
Music therapy is one palliative care approach to improve physical and psychological outcomes for cognitively impaired children with medical complexity (CMC), their parents, and families. However, CMC are often excluded because some specialist services may not accommodate cognitively impaired and nonverbal children and are generally only available within metropolitan areas (large hospitals/cities). Many CMC are at home and cannot access such interventions. This study examined the feasibility and acceptability of a home-based, remote music therapy (RemoteMT) intervention for cognitively impaired CMC receiving palliative or complex care.
Design:
One-group pre-/post-intervention study design.
Setting/Subjects:
Seventeen CMC receiving palliative/complex care and their parents (N = 17 dyads) participated in the study. All study activities took place in participant homes in the United States.
Measurements:
Parents completed measures at T1 pre- (baseline) and T2 post-intervention (six weeks post-baseline) to assess CMC outcomes of physical stress and sleep disturbance; parent outcomes of anxiety, sleep disturbance, and perceived stress; and family outcomes of family adaptability and cohesion.
Results:
Results demonstrated improved child, parent, and family outcomes (e.g., p = 0.027 for child physical stress, p = 0.095 for family cohesion, p = 0.105) and feasible recruitment, data collection and intervention delivery.
Conclusions:
RemoteMT was a feasible and acceptable intervention for cognitively impaired CMC and their parents. Results indicate strong promise for benefits to child and parent outcomes. Full-scale efficacy testing is warranted.
