Sound and music interventions in psychiatry at Aalborg University Hospital

Abstract

This article reports on the ongoing project development and research study ‘A New Sound and Music Milieu at Aalborg University Hospital’. Based on a number of pilot studies in AUH-Psychiatry on how special playlists and sound equipment (sound pillows and portable players) can be used by hospital patients and administered by hospital staff supervised by music therapists, the new project aims to prepare the ground for a systematic application of sound and music in the hospital environment. A number of playlists have been developed, based on theoretical and empirical research in music medicine and music therapy. A special software and hardware design – ‘The Music Star’– has been developed, and installed in combination with a directional line array speaker in patient rooms in two ICUs at the AUH–Psychiatry. The aim of the project is to empower patients to choose music suited to their needs here and now. In the study we focus on how self-selected music may lead to a decrease in anxiety and pain or improved relaxation/sleep. The article describes and discusses the theory-driven development of the sound/music milieu, relevant empirical studies, the novel method of data collection, preliminary results of the project and implications for the future implementation of the model.