Highlights
- Most identified anxiety/stress, social interaction, and quality of life as benefits.
- Music therapy is viewed to support patients, regardless of identity or condition.
- Staff were overall highly supportive of music therapy services and research.
Abstract
Purpose
To reveal the benefits, needs, and limitations of music therapy observed by clinical pediatric staff at a children’s hospital in the United States of America.
Design and methods
Researchers developed an electronic 13-question survey and distributed the survey in the fall of 2022. Questions included demographics, Likert-type scale, and open-ended queries. Data was collected via Qualtrics and analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis.
Results
A total of 83 pediatric staff completed the survey. Staff observed positive benefits, where the highest reported areas were opportunities for dealing with anxiety/stress (94.7%), opportunities for social interaction (93.3%), and quality of life (89.3%). Analysis of free-response questions suggest that staff expect expertise and a nuanced understanding of the needs of each of their clinical units.
Conclusion
Results suggest that staff possess an overall positive attitude toward music therapy in all settings served. Music therapists may be valuable for psychosocial and rehabilitative support to hospitalized children and their families.
Practice implications
Nursing staff may utilize music therapists to improve patient outcomes and reduce the negative effects of hospitalization.
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