Environmental Music Therapy: A Pilot Study on the Effects of Music Therapy in a Chemotherapy Infusion Suite

Résumé

Environmental music therapy (EMT) is a noninvasive mind–body intervention that considers the physical, psychological, and cultural needs of patients, caregivers, and staff. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the effect of EMT on patients, caregivers, and staff revealed that EMT, involving the purposeful use of live music, showed positive effects on stress level and reduced the perception of noise in patients and caregivers when applied in common and treatment areas of the Cancer Center and outpatient infusion facility at a large inner-city hospital. Environmental music therapy attended to the immediate needs of patients and caregivers in a culturally sensitive way both prior to and during treatment. The present study additionally evaluates the effect of EMT’s capacity to alleviate compassion fatigue and stress in oncologists, nurses, and other health professionals.