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Implementing music therapy through telehealth: considerations for military populations

VAUDREUIL, Rebecca
LANGSTON, Diane G
MAGEE, Wendy L
BETTS, Donna
KASS, Sara
LEVY, Charles
2020

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Purpose

Telehealth provides psychotherapeutic interventions and psychoeducation for remote populations with limited access to in-person behavioural health and/or rehabilitation treatment. The United States Department of Défense and the Veterans Health Administration use telehealth to deliver primary care, medication management, and services including physical, occupational, and speech-language therapies for service members, veterans, and eligible dependents. While creative arts therapies are included in telehealth programming, the existing evidence base focuses on art therapy and dance/movement therapy, with a paucity of information on music therapy.

 

Methods

Discussion of didactic and applied music experiences, clinical, ethical, and technological considerations, and research pertaining to music therapy telehealth addresses this gap through presentation of three case examples. These programmes highlight music therapy telehealth with military-connected populations on a continuum of clinical and community engagement: 1) collaboration between Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and the Acoke Rural Development Initiative in Lira, Uganda; 2) the Semper Sound Cyber Health programme in San Diego, CA; and 3) the integration of music therapy telehealth into Creative Forces®, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

Results

These examples illustrate that participants were found to positively respond to music therapy and community music engagement through telehealth, and reported decrease in pain, anxiety, and depression; they endorsed that telehealth was not a deterrent to continued music engagement, requested continued music therapy telehealth sessions, and recommended it to their peers.

 

Conclusions

Knowledge gaps and evolving models of creative arts therapies telehealth for military-connected populations are elucidated, with emphasis on clinical and ethical considerations.

The use of information and communication technology in healthcare to improve participation in everyday life: a scoping review

ZONNEVELD, Michael
PATOMELLA, Ann-Helen
ASABA, Eric
GUIDETTI, Susanne
April 2019

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Background and purpose: The increase in use of everyday information and communication technologies can lead to the need for health professionals to incorporate technology use competencies in practice. Information and communication technologies has the potential to improve participation in daily life among people with disability. The aim was to review and describe evidence of the use of information and communication technology, including mobile technology, for improving participation in everyday life. A secondary aim was to describe how study outcomes were related to participation.

 

Materials and methods: A scoping review methodology was used to identify studies through databases as MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library. Thereafter, the studies were screened and assessed for inclusion.

 

Results: Eleven studies were included. The most commonly used technology were videoconferencing and the telephone. Ten of the 11 studies reported a change in participation in everyday life. Participation was mainly described as involvement in a life situation or related to activities of daily living.

 

Conclusion: Delivering an intervention to improve participation through information and communication technology can be a valid option in rehabilitation. There is a need to measure and describe the intervention and its outcomes in relation to a definition of participation in future studies.

The patient perspective on the use of information and communication technologies and e-health in rehabilitation

WENTINK, M M
PRIETO, E
DE KLOET, A J
VLIELAND, T P M Vliet
MEESTERS, J J L
2017

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Introduction: Success of e-health relies on the extent to which the related technology, such as the electronic device, is accepted by its users. However, there has been limited research on the patients’ perspective on use of e-health-related technology in rehabilitation care.

 

Objective: To explore the usage of common electronic devices among rehabilitation patients with access to email and investigate their preferences regarding their usage in rehabilitation.

 

Methods: Adult patients who were admitted for inpatient and/or outpatient rehabilitation and were registered with an email address were invited to complete an electronic questionnaire regarding current and preferred use of information and communication technologies in rehabilitation care.

 

Results: 190 out of 714 invited patients completed the questionnaire, 94 (49%) female, mean age 49 years (SD 16). 149 patients (78%) used one or more devices every day, with the most frequently used devices were: PC/laptop (93%), smartphone (57%) and tablet (47%). Patients mostly preferred to use technology for contact with health professionals (mean 3.15, SD 0.79), followed by access to their personal record (mean 3.09, SD 0.78) and scheduling appointments with health professionals (mean 3.07, SD 0.85).

 

Conclusion: Most patients in rehabilitation used one or more devices almost every day and wish to use these devices in rehabilitation.

Evaluation of the feasibility and acceptability of the ‘Care for Stroke’ intervention in India, a smartphone-enabled, carer-supported, educational intervention for management of disability following stroke

SURESHKUMAR, K
MURTHY, G V S
NATARAJAN, S
GOENKA, S
KUPER, H
February 2016

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This study aimed to identify operational issues encountered by study participants in using the ‘Care for Stroke’ intervention and to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. ‘Care for Stroke’ is a smartphone-enabled, educational intervention for management of physical disabilities following stroke. It is delivered through a web-based, smartphone enabled application (app). It includes inputs from stroke rehabilitation experts in a digitised format. Sixty stroke survivors discharged from hospital in Chennai, South India, and their caregivers participated in the study. The preliminary intervention was field-tested with 30 stroke survivors for 2 weeks. The finalised intervention was provided to a further 30 stroke survivors to be used in their homes with support from their carers for 4 weeks. Field-testing identified operational difficulties related to connectivity, video-streaming, picture clarity, quality of videos, and functionality of the application. Assessment was carried out by direct observation and short interview questionnaires. 

 

 

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