Impact of Music Therapy on Patients in the Critical Care Unit: A Qualitative Study.

The study included only 14 patients from a single adult ICU in Madrid, Spain, so the themes may not apply to other units or populations. Patients had to be oriented and able to communicate orally, and sedated patients or those with psychiatric pathology were excluded, so the findings do not cover many ICU patients. Interviews took place 24 to 48 hours after the session, after transfer to the ward, so patients were reporting remembered experience rather than the experience as it happened. Music sessions were delivered by a music therapist at the same time as invasive medical procedures such as oral mucosal lavage, endotracheal tube extubation or central venous catheter management, so the contribution of music alone cannot be separated from those procedures or the broader ICU care context. The study did not measure anxiety, pain, sedation, analgesia or recovery outcomes, and it had no comparison group. Communication was difficult for some patients using oxygen masks, although the researchers adjusted audio settings. The authors note that few prior qualitative studies exist on adult ICU music therapy, so comparison with earlier work is limited. The recommendations for nursing practice in the Discussion are authors' suggestions, not tested nursing interventions.

The authors report no financial or material support from public sector agencies, commercial organisations or non-profit organisations, and they declare no conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that music therapy reduces ICU anxiety, pain or distress. This qualitative study asked 14 patients to describe their experience after sessions, did not measure anxiety, pain, sedation or analgesia, and the sessions occurred at the same time as invasive procedures such as oral mucosal lavage, endotracheal tube extubation or central venous catheter management, so the contribution of music alone cannot be separated.