Music therapy in hospitals: improving well-being

Have you heard of music therapy in hospitals?

Numerous studies have shown that the professional use of music has positive effects on people, leading to its application in a variety of health-related contexts. 

What is hospital music therapy?

Hospital music therapy is a therapeutic discipline that uses music to improve patients’ physical, emotional and mental well-being. 

In the hospital setting, music can be a powerful tool for relieving stress, reducing pain and facilitating patient recovery, leading more and more hospitals to include it in their complementary treatments.

Objectives of music therapy in hospitals

The objectives of hospital music therapy are tailored to specific patient needs and clinical contexts. Among the most important are

• Pain reduction: through active listening or musical improvisation, music can help divert attention from pain.
• Reducing anxiety and stress: music therapy aims to create an atmosphere of relaxation and reduce psychological distress.
• Improved emotional state: music is a powerful emotional channel, and music therapy seeks to improve patients’ moods, alleviating feelings of depression, loneliness or despair.
• Cognitive and sensory stimulation: in patients with neurological diseases, music therapy can be used to improve cognitive, sensory and motor skills.
• Facilitating emotional expression: in situations of illness, patients often have difficulty expressing their feelings verbally. Music therapy can facilitate this expression through music, helping them to process their emotions.
• Palliative care support: music therapy can improve the quality of life of terminally ill patients by providing emotional and physical comfort.

Benefits of music therapy in hospitals

The benefits of music therapy in the hospital setting have been widely documented. Among the most important are

• Improved pain perception: studies have shown that music therapy can act as a non-pharmacological analgesic, helping patients to better tolerate pain. This is particularly useful in treatments such as chemotherapy or after surgery.
• Reduced medication use: By reducing pain and anxiety, music therapy can reduce the need for medication, particularly analgesics and anxiolytics.
• Improved quality of sleep: patients tend to notice an improvement in the quality of their sleep, which helps recovery.
• Aids physical rehabilitation: in patients suffering from neurological disorders, music has been successfully used to improve motor control and coordination. Music therapy can be integrated into physical rehabilitation programs, helping patients to improve their mobility.
• Emotional support for staff and loved ones: relaxation and emotional relief for loved ones and healthcare staff, who face high levels of stress in the hospital environment. 
• Humanizing the hospital environment: it helps create a warmer, more human environment within the hospital, reducing the coldness and sense of isolation that patients often feel.

Examples of music therapy in hospitals

There are many examples of the successful implementation of music therapy in hospitals around the world, with different types of patients and clinical situations.

• Cancer patients: in many hospitals, cancer patients benefit from music therapy sessions while undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Music is used to calm anxiety before and after treatment, helping to reduce associated physical and emotional symptoms such as pain, fatigue and depression. One example is the work of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, which offers personalized music therapy sessions to cancer patients.
• Intensive care units (ICUs): in pediatric and adult ICUs, music therapy programs have been set up to reduce patient stress and help stabilize vital functions. For example, at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D.C., therapists use string and soft wind instruments to create a soothing atmosphere in the neonatal ICU, helping to improve heart rate and breathing in premature babies.
• Patients suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease: in hospitals and geriatric care facilities, music therapy has proved effective in improving memory and cognition in people with dementia. By listening to music associated with their memories, patients can benefit from increased social interaction and reduced agitation.
• Neurological rehabilitation: in cases of rehabilitation after stroke or brain injury, music therapy is used to help patients regain their motor and cognitive abilities. One example is rhythmic auditory stimulation, which uses musical rhythm to improve gait in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

“Hospital music therapy is a powerful, non-invasive intervention that dramatically improves patients’ quality of life.”

By reducing pain and anxiety, improving emotional well-being and humanizing the hospital environment, this therapy is proving to be an essential tool in healthcare, with tangible benefits for patients, families and hospital staff.