Music therapy in critical care

Music therapy is an effective intervention for critically ill patients for such purposes as nervousness reduction and stress management. The therapy is readily accepted by patients and is an intervention patients thoroughly enjoy.

The MAIT is one resource that nurses caring for critically ill patients can use to implement music therapy in clinical practice. Patients can be given the opportunity to select a musical tape they prefer and to negotiate with the nurse for uninterrupted music-listening periods.

Allowing patients control over music selection and providing uninterrupted time for music listening gives the patients an enhanced sense of control in an environment that often controls them.

So Oliver Wendell Holmes says
Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons. You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body.