Music Therapy in an Integrated Pediatric Palliative Care Program

Synopsis:

National experts have recommended that children with life-limiting illnesses receive integrated palliative and medical care. These programs offer a variety of services, including music therapy. Using survey data from parents whose were enrolled in Florida’s Partners in Care: Together for Kids (PIC:TFK) program, this study investigates parents’ experiences with music therapy. About 44% of children with life-limiting illnesses and 17% of their siblings used music therapy. For children who used music therapy, multivariate results suggest that their parents were 23 times as likely to report satisfaction with the overall PIC:TFK program (P < .05) versus parents whose children did not use music therapy. Pediatric palliative care programs should include music therapy, although recruiting licensed music therapists may be challenging.

Source:

American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care

Vol/Page/Date:

Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2009;26(6):449-55

Resource Type:

Journal Article

Author/Source:

Knapp C, Madden V, Wang H, Curtis C, Sloyer P, Shenkman E