Background: Contemporary research highlights the potential benefits of music therapy for neuro-rehabilitation. However, the methodological quality remains poor.
Objectives:
1. Identify any improvement in sense of wellbeing, following the interactive live music intervention.
2. Examine the feasibility of such a study within a neuro-rehabilitation ward.
Methods: 26 participants were recruited from a neuro-rehabilitation ward through opportunistic sampling.
Design: Prospective, quasi-experimental design. The quasi-independent variable was the quantity of exposure to the live music, as measured by the number of sessions each participant chose to attend. The other independent variable was the separate time points at which the dependant measures were taken. There were five main time points at which patients were measured: these were baseline/Time 1(T1), during the intervention (T2) and (T3), post-music/T4, and follow-up/T5. The primary dependant variable was the wellbeing of patients and staff. The secondary dependant variables for patients were mobility, pain, and cognitive functioning.
Institutional Review Board approval was obtained as necessary.
The music involved musicians playing, with patients encouraged to participate by singing and games. Two 60 minute sessions were given every weekend over a six-week period.
Measures:
Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale [WEMWBS]
Pictorial Depression Intensity Scale Circles
EuroQol-5 dimensions-5 levels
World Health Organization-5 Wellbeing Index
Numbered Graphic Rating Scale [NGRS]
Mini Mental State Examination
Barthel Index
Functional Ambulation Category [FAC]
Results: Measures showed substantial changes, eg:
T1 T4 T5
NGRS: 4.15 2.64 0.50
FAC 3.62 4.17 3.20
WEMWBS 45 47.57 56.83
Conclusion: In this study live music improved all aspects of wellbeing and an RCT would be feasible to further investigate.
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© 2015 Published by Elsevier Inc.
