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

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Cancer Patients With Delirium

Treatments: Behavioral: Music therapy; Behavioral: Interviews

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04104217

19-270

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Enrollment: 17 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 75 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

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.

Trial design

17 participants in 4 patient groups

patients

Description:

Participate in 30-60 minute interviews after each music therapy session.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Music therapy

Behavioral: Interviews

caregivers

Description:

Participate in 30-60 minute interviews after each music therapy session (ideally within 3 days).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Music therapy

Behavioral: Interviews

nurses

Description:

Participate in 10-15 minute interviews after initial music therapy session.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Music therapy

Behavioral: Interviews

music therapists

Description:

Music therapist will notify the researcher if he/she has provided music therapy for a patient who is identified as having delirium. Music therapists will also be interviewed about the clinical process after initial and follow up music sessions.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Interviews