Immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, and stateless persons, collectively known as “persons of concern,” often have unmet mental health and wellness needs as a result of trauma. With a diverse variety of interventions and approaches, the use of music therapy has the potential to meet the needs of persons of concern. In the present study, the researcher conducted an integrative review to examine the use of music therapy with persons of concern. After conducting a hand-search of music therapy journals and an advanced keyword search through internet databases, the researcher found 17 studies that met inclusion criteria. There were ten studies in which participants were immigrants, six studies in which participants were refugees or asylum seekers, and one study in which participants were displaced persons. Refugees’ countries of origin were: Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Iran, Liberia, North Korea, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Vietnam. Immigrants’ countries of origin were: China, Haiti, India, Korea, Latin America, Malaysia, Mexico, Romania, Russia, and Vietnam. Interventions used in the studies were (in order of frequency) singing, songwriting, instrument play, improvisation, lyric analysis, music listening, music imagery, and music-based relaxation. The needs of persons of concern, music therapy interventions, the rigor and quality of music therapy research, and implications for future clinical practice are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of music therapy among the elderly. This qualitative study utilized interviews as a means to extract themes from the experiences of music therapists who have provided music therapy to the elderly. Results were transcribed to written form. Qualitative analysis procedures were followed to identify themes and subthemes. Areas of particular interest to the social work profession were the emotional, social, physical, and mental benefits and challenges of music therapy among the elderly. Through the guidance of systems theory and the concept of holism, spiritual benefits and challenges were also introduced.

This study examined the use of music as an intervention tool with primary school aged children with Specific Language Impairment, specifically in the linguistic areas of semantics, pragmatics and oral narrative. As teachers and speech pathologists have the most professional contact with children with language impairment, they would benefit from access to suitable music activities. As it cannot be assumed that they have musical training, activities must be designed to be easy to use and adapt. The main aims of the study were (1) to determine whether a range of music activities designed to teach specific language skills were suitable for language intervention programmes, and (2) to ascertain the extent to which teachers and speech pathologists could use these activities (and similar activities) in language intervention. A preliminary survey of Grade Two teachers in Language Development Centres (LDCs) in Perth, Western Australia provided the basis for specific skills to be targeted. Music activities were designed and implemented with a Grade Two class in a Language Development Centre. Four of the students were selected as case studies in order to evaluate the impact of the activities. The classroom teacher was also studied as a case example to determine the usefulness of the activities for professionals with no musical training. Additionally, surveys of teachers in LDCs and speech pathologists (both public facilities and private practice) working with children in the Perth metropolitan region were conducted. Evaluations by the researcher, classroom teacher, a speech pathologist and the four student case studies indicated that the activities designed in this study addressed the specific language goals appropriately, were suitable for use with groups, and that the students were learning and developing the targeted language skills. In addition, the activities were suitable for use by professionals with little musical background, and were perceived by the teacher to be adaptable for different skill levels and age groups. This suggests that music can be effectively used in semantic, pragmatic and oral narrative intervention for primary school aged children with specific language impairment.

<p>Patients that have been undergoing surgery often experience pain and anxiety. Pain relief can be problematic because of the side effects and complications that may occur. This leads to a prolonged recovery phase. Music therapy has long been used as an alternative treatment, it is useful from an economic point of view and no side effects have emerged. However, few studies conducted to evaluate its clinical efficacy. The purpose of this literature study was to describe if music as a complementary treatment method can alleviate post-operative pain, anxiety and if any physiological effects occur in the patient. Literature search was performed in the databases Cinahl, Pubmed, Psychinfo and the search base Elin@Kalmar. The main result showed that the postoperative pain decreased in eight scientific articles and anxiety in four of the scientific articles. In two articles, results showed that there were no improvement in pain and cause for anxiety on the scale of patients. Some of the articles also examined whether the alternative treatment had any effect on the patient's vital signs such as heart rate and respiratory values. The results were varied, indicating that further research is needed for an efficient evaluation. The authors believe that music therapy is an appropriate alternative treatment which can relieve post-operative pain and anxiety. Music therapy is also seen as a simple, contact-building and cost-effective method in daily nursing work.</p>

Patients that have been undergoing surgery often experience pain and anxiety. Pain relief can be problematic because of the side effects and complications that may occur. This leads to a prolonged recovery phase. Music therapy has long been used as an alternative treatment, it is useful from an economic point of view and no side effects have emerged. However, few studies conducted to evaluate its clinical efficacy. The purpose of this literature study was to describe if music as a complementary treatment method can alleviate post-operative pain, anxiety and if any physiological effects occur in the patient. Literature search was performed in the databases Cinahl, Pubmed, Psychinfo and the search base Elin@Kalmar. The main result showed that the postoperative pain decreased in eight scientific articles and anxiety in four of the scientific articles. In two articles, results showed that there were no improvement in pain and cause for anxiety on the scale of patients. Some of the articles also examined whether the alternative treatment had any effect on the patient's vital signs such as heart rate and respiratory values. The results were varied, indicating that further research is needed for an efficient evaluation. The authors believe that music therapy is an appropriate alternative treatment which can relieve post-operative pain and anxiety. Music therapy is also seen as a simple, contact-building and cost-effective method in daily nursing work.

People with motor disabilities have a limitation or a loss of capacity carrying out activities considered as normal for human beings. This may incline the relationship with the society and thus it is essential for these people to undergo therapeutic treatments. However, rehabilitation is a tedious process that often fails due to that patients drop treatment. For this reason, this thesis investigates if music in a serious game for rehabilitation can make the experience to become more engaging and, accordingly, whether positive experiences from playing such a game can encourage the rehabilitation process of a patient i.e. to make the rehabilitation process less tedious for the patient. The results, based on a pilot study conducted in a rehabilitation center, indicates that this is the case and further research on the matter is suggested.

It has been argued that a secure and comfortable atmosphere is essential in order for a therapeutic or learning environment to be beneficial (Bakken 1998). In Functionally Oriented Music Therapy (FMT) there are arguably certain elements that help create this kind of atmosphere. By looking at the nature of FMT, what these elements might be, and FMT with two different clients, this paper tries to obtain a clearer idea of what creates a secure and comfortable atmosphere in FMT.

published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing

Pain is a common problem that affects nearly all cancer patients (Kwekkeboom, 2008). There are various factors that constitute suffering to cancer patients. Apart from physical pain, cancer patients usually experience emotional crisis and spiritual struggles (Magill, 2008). Music therapy is believed to be one of the most effective treatments for cancer patients. It provides a holistic care to patients with cancer. It will not only manage the physical sensation, but also address the psychological, social and spiritual parts of the patients (Magill, 2009). Although current studies have suggested the benefits of using music therapy in reducing pain for cancer patients, it is not a common practice in Hong Kong. As the administration rate of music therapy relies heavily on the knowledge of the nurses (Kwekkeboom, 2008). Therefore, this paper aims at providing evidence on the use of music therapy. In the hope of a clinical guideline, it can increase the administration rate of music therapy for cancer pain management in clinical setting. Apart from the clinical guideline, an implementation and evaluation plan on music therapy will also be discussed in this paper. There will be a full description from preparation to evaluation. Nurses can make use of this reference guide to provide music therapy for their cancer patients in respect to pain management. / published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing

Introduction: Patients having total joint replacement often experience moderate to severe pain postoperatively. Postoperative pain can reduce patients’ mobility, affecting their motivation to participate in any rehabilitation activities. For patients having total join replacement, rehabilitation plays an important role in promoting their early recovery. Therefore, it is crucial for healthcare professionals to develop and evaluate intervention that can better control patients’ post-operative pain. In the clinical setting that I am working, pharmacological method is the major means of postoperative pain management. However, many Chinese patients are reluctant to use analgesic to control their post-operative pain because of the side effects and adverse reactions of the drugs. In this dissertation, music therapy, a non-pharmacological method that can be managed by nurses, is adopted for postoperative pain control. It is used to promote rehabilitation for patients who have undergone total joint replacement. Objectives: The objectives of this study are (1) to review the published research articles that investigated the effects of music therapy in reducing the post-operative pain and promoting rehabilitation for patients having total joint replacement; and (2) to establish an evidence-based guideline for the use of music therapy by nurses to control postoperative pain and to facilitate rehabilitation for patients having total joint replacement. Methods: A comprehensive literature search on four electronic databases including CHINAL, Medline (OvidSP), PubMed and the British Nursing Index were conducted. A total of eight RCTs and two non-randomized controlled trials were eventually identified. Results: All the reviewed studies showed that music therapy has a statistically significant effect on reducing postoperative pain. Sedative or relaxation music (music which has no lyrics, sustained melodic quality; rate of 60-80 beats per minutes; absence of strong rhythms or percussion) are recommended in the guideline. The target setting is a total joint replacement centre in a public hospital of Hong Kong. The target clients are adult patients (aged 19 or above) that are referred by the orthopedic out-patient department and are pending for their total knee/ hip replacement in the center. The transferability and feasibility of the literature are high. The guideline is developed based on the evidence in reviewed literature. A pilot testing plan is established to detect the potential barrier and friction of the guideline before the implementation. After that, an evaluation plan for patients, healthcare providers and system outcomes was also proposed. Conclusion: An evidence based guideline is developed for the total joint replacement center. It is anticipated that, with the use of this guideline by nurses, it will not only facilitate better rehabilitation for patients having total joint replacement, but also enhances nurses’ autonomy in their nursing practice. / published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing