Introduction
Complimentary and alternative therapies are increasingly in use in health care today. Music therapy (MT), one modality examined in current literature, is gaining wider acceptance (Gallagher, Huston, Nelson, Walsh, & Steele, 2001). The patient efficacy of MT has been demonstrated in the literature and includes improving pain, agitation, disruptive behaviors, communication, depression, and quality of life. Some researchers have noted that MT also decreases the use of analgesics (Ikonomidou, Rehnstrom, & Naesh, 2004; Lukas, 2004; Pellino et al., 2005) and increases the efficiency and effectiveness of staff interventions (Ashida, 2000; Gerdner, 2005; Madan, 2005; Sung & Chang, 2005). While not explicitly looking at costs, these studies strongly suggest that MT may have a direct cost benefit by reducing medication costs and improving staff utilization.
Nurs Econ. 2007;25(6):353-358. © 2007 Jannetti Publications, Inc.
Comments