Effect of five-elements music therapy combined with Baduanjin qigong on patients with mild COVID-19.
Haijiao Zhang, Lishi Yin, Yan Peng and 11 others
PMID 37332295WHAT IT FOUND
In hospitalized patients with mild COVID-19, adding five-elements music and Baduanjin qigong to routine nursing lowered anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance scores more than routine nursing alone.
The study was small, single-site, and had no follow-up, so the durability of these gains is unknown.
Key findings
01The combined intervention group had significantly lower anxiety and depression scores after treatment compared to the control group.
02The intervention group showed significantly better sleep quality and lower total Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores after treatment compared to controls.
03Qualitative interviews with 13 patients identified themes of fear, the value of active exercise for mental state, and the importance of support from staff and family.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study had a very small sample size (n=40) and was conducted at a single hospital, limiting generalizability. Participants were recruited via convenience sampling, which introduces selection bias. There was no blinding of participants or assessors, which can inflate subjective outcome measures like self-rated anxiety and sleep. The intervention combined two distinct treatments (music and qigong), so it is impossible to determine which component drove the improvements. There was no follow-up period to assess whether the benefits persisted after the hospital stay ended. The study population was restricted to those who could already walk independently, excluding more severely impaired patients.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Chongqing Science and Health Joint Medical Research Project Fund and the Chongqing Health Commission.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that music or qigong alone caused the improvement. The study tested them together alongside routine nursing, and the small, unblinded design means the effect could be due to the extra attention and time spent with staff rather than the specific techniques.