Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of music therapy on the process of terminal extubation. Subjects were selected from patients who had previously undergone removal from mechanical ventilation and had died under the care of Hospice of Palm Beach County, Inc. in Palm Beach County, Florida. Subjects were assigned to either the control group (N=10) or an experimental group (N=10), made up of patients who received music therapy during the process of extubation. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated for age, number of doctor’s orders and number of medications given to each patient, and length of life in minutes from time of extubation until time of death. Analysis by Mann-Whitney U test indicated that there was no significant difference between the control group and experimental group for the factors of age, number of orders for each patient and number of medications given. Length of life was also not statistically significant between the control and experimental groups; although comparisons of mean length of life following removal of mechanical ventilation between the groups did indicate that patients receiving music therapy lived longer than those in the control group. As there is little research examining the effects of music therapy on the extubation process, additional studies are necessary, particularly using a larger sample of patients.
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