Combined effect of pulmonary rehabilitation and music therapy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Jun Okamoto, Yorimitsu Furukawa, Naomi Kobinata and 4 others
PMID 34658524WHAT IT FOUND
Adding music therapy to pulmonary rehabilitation raised an airflow ratio from 52.84% to 64.94% and 6-minute walk distance from 233.05 m to 306.30 m; depression and anxiety scores did not change.
Key findings
01The FEV1.0% airflow ratio changed differently between groups (p=0.02). It rose from 52.84% to 64.94% in the pulmonary rehabilitation plus music therapy group and fell from 58.27% to 55.69% in the pulmonary rehabilitation-only group.
026-minute walk distance increased over time in both groups, from 252.60 m to 291.25 m in the pulmonary rehabilitation-only group and from 233.05 m to 306.30 m in the pulmonary rehabilitation plus music therapy group, with a significant time effect (p=0.02).
03No significant differences were observed in depression, state anxiety, trait anxiety, COPD Assessment Test, and General Self-Efficacy Scale scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The paper says 21 patients were included and data were analyzed from 13 patients, but also says 13 patients were in each group, so the analyzed sample is unclear. The sample was small, and the authors said statistical power was limited. The control group received 20 minutes of leisure activities instead of music therapy, so the difference cannot be separated from the added 20-minute activity. Depression and anxiety scores were already low before intervention, so change may be hard to detect. The paper does not state a single primary outcome.
Declared interests
The authors declared no funding and no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that music therapy alone improves COPD. The combination group also received pulmonary rehabilitation, the control group received pulmonary rehabilitation plus leisure activities, and the study analyzed only 13 patients after reporting 21 included, while depression and anxiety scores did not change.