Music Therapy and Procedural Support: Opportunities for Practice

Abstract

The use of music therapy for procedural support is an area of increasing interest yet has little research supporting it as an evidence-based practice.  Throughout this article there is an emphasis on the use of music therapy in the pediatric hospital setting, but not exclusively.  Procedural support is becoming a commonplace term in music therapy yet there is little information to unify the variety of techniques and practices involved in this particular approach to treatment. This article surveys current literature regarding procedural support, including music therapy supports, child life supports, and medical supports.   Definitions of terms are offered and a working definition of procedural support is proposed.