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A Study of the Experience of Music Therapy in Cancer Patients With Delirium

Music Therapy With Oncology Patients and Delirium: An Exploratory Study

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04104217
Enrollment
17
Registered
2019-09-26
Start date
2019-09-23
Completion date
2023-08-18
Last updated
2023-08-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cancer Patients With Delirium

Keywords

Music therapy, 19-270

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of the experience of music therapy by cancer patients with delirium, and the experience of music therapists working with these patients. The researchers are focusing on patients with delirium because of the challenging symptoms of this condition. At MSK, music therapy is routinely used in patients with cancer. Music therapy sessions are done at the patient's bedside, where the music therapist plays live music on a guitar, keyboard, harp, or percussion instrument, sometimes as accompaniment to singing.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALMusic therapy

Music therapy sessions may last 20-60 minutes, with length and frequency to be determined mutually (generally 1-3 times per week). Music therapy sessions are done at the patient's bedside, where the music therapist plays live music on a guitar, keyboard, harp, or percussion instrument, sometimes as accompaniment to singing.

BEHAVIORALInterviews

Each interview will be conducted in person in a private setting (with the exception of caregivers, who have the option to conduct interviews over the phone if it is not feasible to take place in the hospital). Each interview will follow a semi-structured interview guide and will ask for consent to audio record the interviews .

Sponsors

New York University
CollaboratorOTHER
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
OTHER
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* adult patients (ages 18-75) with delirium * referred for and receive music therapy. * were identified as having delirium by the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM), Confusion Assessment Method for ICU patients (CAM-ICU) or a documented diagnosis by a clinician from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the patient's electronic medical record (EMR). * Patients that have had music therapy in the past will be eligible for the study * Only patients that recover from delirium (per CAM, CAM-ICU, or progress note by a clinician from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences) after receiving music therapy will be approached for interview by the researcher. This study will also include their caregivers, music therapists, primary nurse, and bedside companions who have participated in or observed the participants' response to music therapy. The music therapist participants are: * Board-certified senior music therapists with 10 or more years experience in the research site who sign a blanket consent form to participate in study. * Assigned to eligible patients by Integrative Medicine Service Client Service Representative (CSR). The caregivers are: * Family or unrelated adult (\>18) caregivers who observed bedside music therapy session(s) with patients meeting inclusion criteria The staff caregivers are: * Primary nurse caring for eligible patients who receive their first music therapy session while experiencing delirium. * Patient care technicians (PCT) assigned as bedside companions for eligible patients who receive music therapy

Exclusion criteria

* have a known hearing impairment * do not speak English. * are heavily sedated, comatose, or expected to be discharged or expire within 48 hours * have known comorbidities of delirium tremens, steroid psychosis, or dementia Caregivers will be excluded from the study if they do not speak English. Music therapists, nurses, or bedside companions will be excluded if they are not assigned to eligible patients.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
thematic analysis of data with music therapists1 yearby interviews

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
thematic analysis of data with caregivers, nurses, and patients1 yearby interviews

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026