Cancer

Effectiveness of Vibroacoustic Music for pain and symptom management in outpatient chemotherapy treatment

Source: Wigram T., and Dileo, C. eds. Music Vibration and Health. Cherry Hill, NJ: Jeffrey Books. 197-204.

The study was conducted at the outpatient chemotherapy unit of Ella Milbanks Foshay Cancer Center, a department of Jupiter Medical Center, Jupiter, Florida. The study sought to replicate research conducted at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) demonstrating a 53.4% overall reduction of patient-reported pain and symptoms using vibroacoustic music as an intervention. The study was also designed to explore the effectiveness of vibroacoustic pain management specifically in chemotherapy treatment and to determine if vibroacoustic sessions could be effectively facilitated by nursing staff in a hospital setting. Volunteer chemotherapy patients and cancer survivors were provided with vibroacoustic music sessions. Patients represented a convenience sample with various cancer diagnoses. Two patient self-report instruments were provided by the NIH: patient tension/relaxation state was measured using the Poppen “Self- Report Rating Scale for Tension and Relaxation” and a visual-analog-scale was used to measure effects upon pain and symptoms as selfreported by patients. Patient self-reports were given pre- and post-session.