Abstract
Background: Music therapy is one of the most frequently used complementary therapies in different palliative
care settings. Despite its long tradition and high acceptance by other health-care professionals, evidence on
the effectiveness of music therapy interventions for terminally ill patients is rare. Recent reviews and health-care
reports consistently point out the need of music therapists to provide an evidence-based rationale for their clinical
treatments in this field. Therefore, the present study evaluates the psychological and physiological response of palliative
care patients to a standardized music therapy relaxation intervention in a randomized controlled trial.
Methods/design: A sample of 84 participants from a palliative care unit in Heidelberg is randomized to either two
sessions of music therapy or two sessions of a verbal relaxation exercise, each lasting 30 minutes. The music therapy
sessions consist of live played monochord music and a vocal improvisation, the control group uses a prerecorded
excerpt from the mindfulness-based stress reduction program containing no musical elements. Outcome measures
include self-report data on subjective relaxation, well-being, pain intensity, and quality of life, as well as continuous
recording of heart rate variability and blood volume pulse as indicators of autonomous nervous system functioning.
Discussion: To our knowledge, this study is the first clinical trial in Europe and one of very few randomized controlled
trials worldwide to systematically examine the effects of music therapy in palliative care.
Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register – DRKS00006137
Keywords: Music therapy, Palliative care, Randomized controlled trial, Autonomous functioning, Relaxation, End-of-life
care, Quality of life