The Effects of a Single Session of Music Therapy on the Agitated Behaviors of Patients Receiving Hospice Care

Research suggests that agitation is a common symptom for hospice patients, but while studies have examined the outcomes of music therapy on the agitated behaviors of patients in other settings, none have addressed this symptom in patients with terminal illnesses. The study objective was to determine whether a single session of music therapy provided by a board certified music therapist and using the entrainment principle would decrease agitation in hospice patients. This pilot study was a single-blind, pretest/posttest design. Music therapists used the principle of entrainment with live music during the treatment session. Subjects included in the study were 77 patients at a large hospice in south Florida with documented agitation. Agitation was measured using the Overt Agitation Severity Scale (OASS) for 5 minutes prior to and 5 minutes following a 20 minute music therapy intervention. Results from 73 participants were analyzed with a mean difference of -5.77 points from pretest to posttest. Results indicating a decrease in agitation were statistically significant (p