Music-based interventions in stroke rehabilitation: stakeholder perspectives from a qualitative study in Singapore

Music-based interventions have shown benefits for motor, cognitive, and psychosocial outcomes after stroke, yet they remain underutilised in routine rehabilitation. We explored how stroke survivors, caregivers, healthcare professionals and music therapists perceive the role, benefits, barriers and implementation needs of music-based interventions in stroke rehabilitation, using semi-structured interviews with 21 participants in Singapore and inductive thematic analysis guided by Braun and Clarke's six-step approach. Four themes were identified: (1) multidimensional challenges after stroke (2) perceived benefits of music-based interventions (3) barriers to implementation, and (4) recommendations for integration. Stakeholders in Singapore regard music-based interventions as person-centred modalities that complement conventional therapies by addressing emotional, cognitive, social and motivational aspects of stroke recovery. These findings reflect stakeholder perceptions of the potential role of music-based interventions. However, there remains a need to enhance awareness, funding, and culturally sensitive, individualised delivery models.