Soothe the savage beast: Patient perceptions of the benefits of music therapy in an inpatient rehabilitation facility.
Evan R Edwards, Prakash Jayabalan
PMID 36412009WHAT IT FOUND
Patients in inpatient rehab were mostly neutral about music therapy, not resistant.
Favorable and neutral responses covered 79.8% of the sample. Younger and more educated patients were more receptive, and better knowledge was related to more positive attitudes.
Key findings
01Most patients were neutral, and favorable plus neutral scores covered 79.8% of the sample.
02Perceptions did not differ significantly across general rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, and brain injury groups.
03Knowledge scores were related to more positive attitudes and beliefs, while younger and more educated patients tended to score higher.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study did not provide music therapy, so it cannot show whether patients would benefit from it. Patients needed sufficient cognitive function to consent, and aphasic stroke patients were excluded, so the results do not apply to that group. The sample was from a free-standing facility in a large US city, so it may not reflect other regions or hospitals. The questionnaire was not validated in Spanish, so Spanish-speaking patients were not included.
Declared interests
The article is marked as Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural. The authors declare nothing to disclose.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that music therapy improves function or that patients are enthusiastic. The study only surveyed perceptions, music therapy was not provided, and aphasic stroke patients were excluded.