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McConnell T, Gillespie K, Potvin N, Roulston A, Kirkwood J, Thomas D, McCullagh A, Roche L, O'Sullivan M, Binnie K, Clements-Cortés A, DiMaio L, Thompson Z, Tsiris G, Radulovic R, Graham-Wisener L. Developing a best-practice agenda for music therapy research to support informal carers of terminally ill patients pre- and post-death bereavement: a world café approach. BMC Palliat Care 2024; 23:33. [PMID: 38326820 PMCID: PMC10851575 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-024-01369-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Informal carers of terminally ill patients play a vital role in providing palliative care at home, which impacts on their pre- and post-death bereavement experience and presents an up to 50% greater risk for mental-health problems. However, developing and implementing effective bereavement support remains challenging. There is a need to build the evidence base for music therapy as a potentially promising bereavement support for this vulnerable population. This study aimed to co-design an international best practice agenda for research into music therapy for informal carers of patients pre- and post-death bereavement. METHODS Online half day workshop using a World Café approach; an innovative method for harnessing group intelligence within a group of international expert stakeholders (music therapy clinicians and academics with experience of music therapy with informal carers at end-of-life). Demographics, experience, key priorities and methodological challenges were gathered during a pre-workshop survey to inform workshop discussions. The online workshop involved four rounds of rotating, 25-minute, small group parallel discussions using Padlet. One final large group discussion involved a consensus building activity. All data were analysed thematically to identify patterns to inform priorities and recommendations. RESULTS Twenty-two consented and completed the pre-event survey (response rate 44%), from countries representing 10 different time zones. Sixteen participated in the workshop and developed the following best practice agenda. The effectiveness of music therapy in supporting informal carers across the bereavement continuum should be prioritised. This should be done using a mixed methods design to draw on the strengths of different methodological approaches to building the evidence base. It should involve service users throughout and should use a core outcome set to guide the choice of clinically important bereavement outcome measures in efficacy/effectiveness research. CONCLUSIONS Findings should inform future pre- and post-death bereavement support research for informal caregivers of terminally ill patients. This is an important step in building the evidence base for commissioners and service providers on how to incorporate more innovative approaches in palliative care bereavement services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracey McConnell
- School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
| | - Kathryn Gillespie
- Centre for Improving Health-Related Quality of Life, School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Noah Potvin
- Mary Pappert School of Music, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Audrey Roulston
- School of Social Sciences, Education & Social Work, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | | | - Daniel Thomas
- CHROMA Therapies, Overross House, Ross Park, Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, UK
| | | | - Lorna Roche
- MusiCARER Project Carer Advisory Group, Belfast, UK
| | | | - Kate Binnie
- Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre, Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, UK
| | | | - Lauren DiMaio
- Music Therapy, Texas Woman's University, Denton, USA
| | - Zara Thompson
- Creative Arts and Music Therapy Research Unit, Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Giorgos Tsiris
- Division of Occupational Therapy and Arts Therapies, School of Health Sciences, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ranka Radulovic
- Clinic for Psychiatry, University Clinical Centre of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Lisa Graham-Wisener
- Centre for Improving Health-Related Quality of Life, School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
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