MUSIC, DEATH, AND DYING: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE LITERATURE

MUSIC, DEATH, AND DYING: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE LITERATURE By Virginia A. Anderson The purpose of this research was to categorize, code and summarize articles and abstracts on music therapy and palliative care and hospice in order to highlight themes and trends, as well as provide direction for future research. Findings included data summaries on treatment settings, population trends, diagnoses, and treatment focuses or areas of investigation. Of 79 articles reviewed, 17 were quantitative, 12 were qualitative, 31 were clinical, 8 professional, 7 theoretical/philosophical, 2 historical, and 2 uncategorized. The common goal of the majority of the 79 articles was to look at emotional wellbeing and benefit, with the most prevalent population being adult patients. In the early 2000’s there was an explosion of literature and a push toward empirical studies. Within the past 40 years we have gone from theorizing about the benefits of palliative care and hospice to producing empirical studies measuring quality of life and length of life, as well as creating songwriting tools to measure grief in children. Further breakdowns are given as well as implications for future research. Copyright by Virginia A. Anderson