Use of Palliative Care Music Therapy in a Hospital Setting during COVID-19
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Family Medicine and Community HealthDepartment of Medicine, Division of Palliative Care
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2021-08-11
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
As many hospitals scaled back integrative therapies during the COVID-19 pandemic, we instead turned to the multifaceted qualities of music to bridge physical and social divides. In this report, we describe palliative care music therapists as frontline providers utilizing evidence-based approaches to support healing and recovery for patients in the intensive care unit, patient and family care at end of life, and staff wellness. We provide examples of music therapy (MT) to promote successful weaning from mechanical ventilation, create bedside rituals and legacy gifts for dying patients and their families, and provide real-time support for overwhelmed staff. Despite barriers brought on by the pandemic, the sensory and emotional immediacy of music bridged social distances at critical moments and addressed "suffering beyond words" among patients, families and health care workers. Our experience reinforced the need for MT as standard of interdisciplinary care during the pandemic and beyond.Source
Reidy J, MacDonald MC. Use of Palliative Care Music Therapy in a Hospital Setting during COVID-19. J Palliat Med. 2021 Aug 11. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2020.0739. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34382835. Link to article on publisher's site
DOI
10.1089/jpm.2020.0739Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/27492PubMed ID
34382835Related Resources
ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1089/jpm.2020.0739