Quality Improvement Evaluation of a Veterans’ Palliative Care Telehealth Music Therapy Program

Music therapy is an important psychosocial aspect of hospice and palliative care programs to address pain, grief, and anxiety. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced new challenges to psychosocial therapies in palliative care, including the inability of families to be at the bedside of seriously ill patients, and the need to provide services remotely through video technology. Due to this sudden shift in service delivery, music therapists adapted without research evidence or evaluation of service quality. This evidence-based quality improvement (QI) evaluation examined the program effectiveness of music therapy telehealth services at one Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) for patients in palliative care, their family members, and VAMC staff during this time of societal grief, anxiety, and isolation. Evaluation metrics included patient (n = 39), staff (n = 27), and family member (n = 3) responses to QI surveys, and analysis of journal entries from key stakeholders (i.e., music therapist, nurse case manager, palliative care physician). We conducted a content analysis of QI surveys and completed the first and second cycle coding of journal entries. Results from the QI survey indicated that music therapy telehealth provided affective and interpersonal benefits, and increased compliance with other therapies. Reflections from key stakeholders included clinical recommendations for service implementation and descriptions of the influence of the telehealth modality on the therapeutic relationship. Findings suggested that music therapy telehealth services can provide psychosocial support for veterans, families, and staff in palliative care. QI research may be utilized to provide helpful ongoing feedback regarding clinical effectiveness.