Music Therapy in hospice and palliative care: a review of the empirical data. Although music therapy is an established allied health profession and frequently used in the treatment of terminally ill patients, published empirical research supporting the use of music therapy in end-of-life care is scarce. This article reviews studies found in the literature and documents the emergence of an evidenced-based approach to using music therapy in hospice and palliative care. A total of 11 studies are reviewed; six show significant differences supporting the use of music therapy. Areas positively affected by music therapy include pain, physical comfort, fatigue and energy, anxiety and relaxation, time and duration of treatment, mood, spirituality, and quality of life. Guidelines for future research are discussed. More evidence-based research is needed. Hilliard RE. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2005 Jun;2(2):173-178. Epub 2005 Apr 7. Full Text: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=15937557 Credit: All abstracts retrieved from PubMed, developed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care Beth Israel Medical Center, New York City ©2005 Continuum Health Partners, Inc. www.stoppain.org/palliative_care