ALLNCT02227680
Massage Therapy Versus Music Therapy Pilot Study
A study testing Music Therapy and Massage Therapy in people with ALL, run by Boston Medical Center at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This project studies the feasibility of (1) implementing massage therapy and music therapy onto a busy medical inpatient unit at Boston Medical Center, and (2) evaluating massage therapy and music therapy's impact on patient satisfaction, patient outcomes, and cost. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- ALL
- What is being tested?
- Music Therapy and Massage Therapy
- Type of treatment
- Injection or infusion
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 90 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Jul 2014to Jan 2015
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 18 years or older
- Inpatient on the Boston Medical C enter Family Medicine inpatient service
Who cannot join
- Inability to provide informed consent
- Contagious skin disease or infection
- Hemophilia
- Thrombocytopenia
- Encephalopathy
- Dementia
Show all 10Show fewer
- Altered mental status
- 1:1 status (requiring constant supervision)
- Any condition, as determined by the attending physician, which would prevent participation in the study.
- Observation status
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Massage Therapy vs. Music Therapy vs. Usual Care in an Inpatient Setting: A Pilot Study
This project studies the feasibility of (1) implementing massage therapy and music therapy onto a busy medical inpatient unit at Boston Medical Center, and (2) evaluating massage therapy and music therapy's impact on patient satisfaction, patient outcomes, and cost. The investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial comparing massage therapy, music therapy, and usual care to collect preliminary data on critical outcomes for patients (satisfaction, symptom control) and for the hospital (pain medication use and length of stay, both critical drivers of cost). The investigators anticipate using these preliminary data to apply for a future larger and longer adequately powered randomized controlled trial to definitively answer the following research questions: does implementation of an inpatient massage therapy and/or music therapy service (a) improve patient satisfaction; (b) reduce symptoms such as pain; and (c) lower health care costs through less pain medication and reduced length of stay?
Read the detailed description
This randomized controlled trial compares massage therapy to usual care and music therapy to usual care for patients admitted to the Family Medicine Inpatient Unit of Boston Medical Center. Ninety family medicine inpatients will be recruited by the research assistant to participate in the study. Participants will be randomized directly following consent in a 1:1:1 ratio to massage therapy, music therapy, or usual care. Individuals assigned to the usual care group will receive the choice of a massage voucher for one massage at Boston Medical Center's Integrative Medicine program or a music therapy CD following completion of the study.
Treatment assignments will be prepared by the study biostatistician, using a permuted block method with varying block sizes of 3, 6, and 9, prior to the start of the study. These will be sealed in sequentially numbered opaque envelopes. This order will not be changed. A research assistant will take a randomization envelope, in sequential order, and read the treatment assignment to the participant following enrollment.
After enrollment and randomization is complete each day, the massage therapist and music therapist will begin to see participants for treatment. Treatments will take place in the inpatient hospital room. Curtains will be pulled closed to maintain privacy in rooms that have two beds. Both music and massage therapists will be present Monday-Sunday to provide treatment to participants.
Treatments will be attempted 1-3 times per day for the duration of the participant's stay on the unit, based on the participant's availability (they may be scheduled for diagnostic tests, imaging, consults, etc). The music and massage therapists will work down the list of participants, visiting each one by one and administering treatment (details below for each therapy). If a participant is not available at the time the therapist comes by, he/she will revisit the participant after they have gone through their list and administered treatments. Once the therapist has provided the therapy once to every patient on his/her list, he/she will begin at the top of the list and provide a second round of treatments, and repeat again for a third round as time permits.
The music therapist and massage therapist will create a note sheet each day for each participant. This will allow them to track number of treatments as well as any comments relevant to treatment (patient preferences, etc). A research assistant will collect these at the end of each day, enter them into the secure online database, and store them in a locked file cabinet.
The music therapist and massage therapist will each be given an updated list of patients to treat (first name, last initial, room number) each morning. These lists (separated by treatment group) will include the newly enrolled and randomized participants as well as those who have not yet been discharged. At the end of each day, the therapists will report to the research assistant on how many sessions were provided to each participant.
When the research assistant notes that a participant has been discharged, he/she has approximately 7 days to contact the patient (by phone or email) to administer the endline survey. Then, thirty days after discharge, the research assistant will check the participant's electronic medical record to see if he/she has been admitted again since discharge. Participants in the control group, following discharge and completion of the endline survey, will be mailed either a music/meditation CD or a voucher for massage at BMC, according to their preference.
- Conditions
- ALL
- Being tested
- Music Therapy, Massage Therapy
- Keywords
- music therapy, massage therapy
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Music TherapyOther
Each music therapy session will begin with a brief description of the protocol, a musical introduction, a discussion of music preferences, and an informal assessment of participant needs to determine target goals, e.g., management of pain, anxiety, and other symptoms; breath control; emotional support and regulation. After the initial visit, the music therapist will create a playlist, based on participant preferences, and burn it onto a CD for the participant. The participant will be encouraged to use the book and listen to the CDs as often as he/she would like. After the initial visit, follow up visits will include techniques like music-facilitated breathing, music and imagery, music and relaxation/meditation, song writing, improvisation, singing, lyric substitution, lyric analysis, musical reminiscence, passive listening. There will be the opportunity to create music and write songs across multiple sessions, if these activities are indicated.
Massage TherapyOther
Working with experts in hospital-based massage therapy, we have developed a semi-standardized inpatient massage protocol that utilizes Swedish techniques and acupressure. The protocol was adapted from our successful previous study of massage for perioperative care of patients undergoing implantation of permanent intravenous access devices. Massage therapists will focus on hands, feet, arms, and neck, as able, during the treatments.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Music Therapy | Active comparator | Patients randomized to the music therapy group will receive 1-3 10-40 minute music therapy sessions during each of the days of their stay on the inpatient unit. Each participant randomized to the music therapy intervention will be given a personalized CD and one portable CD player with headphones which they may keep after the study has ended. Receives: Other: Music Therapy |
| Massage Therapy | Active comparator | Patients randomized to the massage therapy group will receive 1-3 10-40 minute massage treatments during each of the days of their stay on the inpatient unit. Receives: Other: Massage Therapy |
| Usual Care | No intervention | The control group will continue to receive usual care while on the Family Medicine Inpatient Unit. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Patient satisfaction
Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Survey questions
Measured: within 7 days after discharge
Secondary outcomes (5)
Pain medication use
Administration of pain medication is documented in the electronic medical record each time a dose is given. We will use the EMR to document number of doses and amount (mg) of each dose during the participant's stay.
Measured: duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 4 days
Sedative use
Administration of sedatives is documented in the electronic medical record each time a dose is given. We will use the EMR to document number of doses and amount (mg) of each dose during the participant's stay.
Measured: duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 4 days
Length of stay
Measured: duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 4 days
Number of re-admissions 30 days after initial discharge
Measured: 30 days post-discharge
Pain level
Pain levels are documented for every patient by nurses on a daily basis. We will utilize the electronic medical record (EMR) and document every pain evaluation (0-10 point scale of current pain intensity) performed by nurses on inpatient unit during participant's stay.
Measured: duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 4 days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 Aug 2014 (estimated)
- Study startJul 2014
- Primary completionDec 2014
- Study completionJan 2015
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for ALLStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 90 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Boston Medical Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Muscular Therapy Institute Foundation, Inc., Berklee College of Music
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Robert B Saper, MD, MPH, Principal investigator, Boston Medical Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02227680
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- H-32796
- Status last verified
- Jan 2015
- First submitted
- 21 Aug 2014
- Last updated
- 28 Jan 2015
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 28 Jan 2015. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Massage Therapy vs. Music Therapy vs. Usual Care in an Inpatient Setting: A Pilot Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02227680
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- H-32796
- Conditions
- ALL
- Keywords
- music therapy, massage therapy
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 90 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Boston Medical CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Muscular Therapy Institute Foundation, Inc., Berklee College of Music
- Study start
- Jul 2014
- Primary completion
- Dec 2014 (actual)
- Study completion
- Jan 2015 (actual)
- First posted
- 28 Aug 2014 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This project studies the feasibility of (1) implementing massage therapy and music therapy onto a busy medical inpatient unit at Boston Medical Center, and (2) evaluating massage therapy and music therapy's impact on patient satisfaction, patient outcomes, and cost. The investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial comparing massage therapy, music therapy, and usual care to collect preliminary data on critical outcomes for patients (satisfaction, symptom control) and for the hospital (pain medication use and length of stay, both critical drivers of cost). The investigators anticipate using these preliminary data to apply for a future larger and longer adequately powered randomized controlled trial to definitively answer the following research questions: does implementation of an inpatient massage therapy and/or music therapy service (a) improve patient satisfaction; (b) reduce symptoms such as pain; and (c) lower health care costs through less pain medication and reduced length of stay?
Detailed description
This randomized controlled trial compares massage therapy to usual care and music therapy to usual care for patients admitted to the Family Medicine Inpatient Unit of Boston Medical Center. Ninety family medicine inpatients will be recruited by the research assistant to participate in the study. Participants will be randomized directly following consent in a 1:1:1 ratio to massage therapy, music therapy, or usual care. Individuals assigned to the usual care group will receive the choice of a massage voucher for one massage at Boston Medical Center's Integrative Medicine program or a music therapy CD following completion of the study.
Treatment assignments will be prepared by the study biostatistician, using a permuted block method with varying block sizes of 3, 6, and 9, prior to the start of the study. These will be sealed in sequentially numbered opaque envelopes. This order will not be changed. A research assistant will take a randomization envelope, in sequential order, and read the treatment assignment to the participant following enrollment.
After enrollment and randomization is complete each day, the massage therapist and music therapist will begin to see participants for treatment. Treatments will take place in the inpatient hospital room. Curtains will be pulled closed to maintain privacy in rooms that have two beds. Both music and massage therapists will be present Monday-Sunday to provide treatment to participants.
Treatments will be attempted 1-3 times per day for the duration of the participant's stay on the unit, based on the participant's availability (they may be scheduled for diagnostic tests, imaging, consults, etc). The music and massage therapists will work down the list of participants, visiting each one by one and administering treatment (details below for each therapy). If a participant is not available at the time the therapist comes by, he/she will revisit the participant after they have gone through their list and administered treatments. Once the therapist has provided the therapy once to every patient on his/her list, he/she will begin at the top of the list and provide a second round of treatments, and repeat again for a third round as time permits.
The music therapist and massage therapist will create a note sheet each day for each participant. This will allow them to track number of treatments as well as any comments relevant to treatment (patient preferences, etc). A research assistant will collect these at the end of each day, enter them into the secure online database, and store them in a locked file cabinet.
The music therapist and massage therapist will each be given an updated list of patients to treat (first name, last initial, room number) each morning. These lists (separated by treatment group) will include the newly enrolled and randomized participants as well as those who have not yet been discharged. At the end of each day, the therapists will report to the research assistant on how many sessions were provided to each participant.
When the research assistant notes that a participant has been discharged, he/she has approximately 7 days to contact the patient (by phone or email) to administer the endline survey. Then, thirty days after discharge, the research assistant will check the participant's electronic medical record to see if he/she has been admitted again since discharge. Participants in the control group, following discharge and completion of the endline survey, will be mailed either a music/meditation CD or a voucher for massage at BMC, according to their preference.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Music Therapy | Active comparator | Other: Music TherapyPatients randomized to the music therapy group will receive 1-3 10-40 minute music therapy sessions during each of the days of their stay on the inpatient unit. Each participant randomized to the music therapy intervention will be given a personalized CD and one portable CD player with headphones which they may keep after the study has ended. |
| Massage Therapy | Active comparator | Other: Massage TherapyPatients randomized to the massage therapy group will receive 1-3 10-40 minute massage treatments during each of the days of their stay on the inpatient unit. |
| Usual Care | No intervention | –The control group will continue to receive usual care while on the Family Medicine Inpatient Unit. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- 18 years or older
- Inpatient on the Boston Medical C enter Family Medicine inpatient service
Key exclusion criteria (10 listed)
- Inability to provide informed consent
- Contagious skin disease or infection
- Hemophilia
- Thrombocytopenia
- Encephalopathy
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Music TherapyEach music therapy session will begin with a brief description of the protocol, a musical introduction, a discussion of music preferences, and an informal assessment of participant needs to determine target goals, e.g., management of pain, anxiety, and other symptoms; breath control; emotional support and regulation. After the initial visit, the music therapist will create a playlist, based on participant preferences, and burn it onto a CD for the participant. The participant will be encouraged to use the book and listen to the CDs as often as he/she would like. After the initial visit, follow up visits will include techniques like music-facilitated breathing, music and imagery, music and relaxation/meditation, song writing, improvisation, singing, lyric substitution, lyric analysis, musical reminiscence, passive listening. There will be the opportunity to create music and write songs across multiple sessions, if these activities are indicated. | Other | Music Therapy |
| Massage TherapyWorking with experts in hospital-based massage therapy, we have developed a semi-standardized inpatient massage protocol that utilizes Swedish techniques and acupressure. The protocol was adapted from our successful previous study of massage for perioperative care of patients undergoing implantation of permanent intravenous access devices. Massage therapists will focus on hands, feet, arms, and neck, as able, during the treatments. | Other | Massage Therapy |
Primary outcome
Patient satisfaction
Time frame: within 7 days after discharge
Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) Survey questions
5 secondary outcomes
Pain medication use
Time frame: duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 4 days
Sedative use
Time frame: duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 4 days
Length of stay
Time frame: duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 4 days
Number of re-admissions 30 days after initial discharge
Time frame: 30 days post-discharge
Pain level
Time frame: duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 4 days
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 28 Jan 2015.
Related trials for ALL
Recruiting
A Multicenter Study to Evaluate Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) Testing and Monitoring of B-Cell Recovery to Guide Management Following Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CART) Induced Remission in Children and Young Adults With B Lineage Acute Lymph...
B-All, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
RecruitingObservational study
Pharmacokinetic Study of Venetoclax Tablets Crushed and Dissolved Into a Solution
Hematologic Malignancy, Leukemia
Not yet recruiting
my.naviGATE: A Guide to After-Treatment Effects for Adolescents and Young Adults
Sarcoma, Osteosarcoma
RecruitingPhase 1
Anti-CRLF2-R/TSLPR Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells (TSLPR-CART) in Participants With Recurrent or Refractory CRLF2-R/TSLPR-Overexpressing B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL)
B-All, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
RecruitingObservational study
A Multi-site Study to Evaluate the Persistence of Protective Immunity to Routine Childhood Vaccinations in Participants With B-ALL/Ly Who Have Received Blinatumomab
B-Cell ALL, B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Robert B Saper, MD, MPH principal investigator
Boston Medical Center
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Music Therapy and Massage Therapy in people with ALL, run by Boston Medical Center at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 10 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 Jan 2015. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Patient satisfaction (time frame: within 7 days after discharge). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 28 Jan 2015; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 30 Oct 2026.