Evidence-based Music Therapy: Strategies for informed clinical decision-making

Abstract

Music therapy, as an evidence-based practice, integrates the best research available in the area and related areas, the clinical experience of music therapists, and the needs, values and preferences of the people assisted, for clinical decision-making, seeking to refine its interventions in order to increase the effectiveness of treatments. This review paper aims to present the steps for evidence-based practice, discuss evidence-based music therapy, and raise evidence of a specific music therapy technique for use in a target population, exemplifying the search for evidence for clinical practice. Five steps are presented for the development of evidence-based practice, including a discussion on types and hierarchies of evidence and a description of the types of studies. Further, we present a discussion on evidence-based music therapy and its particularities. Finally, we conducted a systematic search of randomized controlled trials, exemplifying the search of evidence for clinical practice purposes, starting from the clinical question that rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) can be used to improve the gait behavior of patients with Parkinson's disease. The evidence raised indicated that the use of the RAS has a significant effect on the gait speed and stride length parameters, but not on the walking cadence parameters. In conclusion, we emphasize the importance of music therapists being familiar with evidence-based practice so that more robust studies on music therapy interventions are carried out to support professional practice.