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Sickle Cell DiseaseMULTI-MUSIQOLSNCT06853158

MULTIsite Feasibility of MUSIc Therapy to Address Quality Of Life in Sickle Cell Disease

A study testing Music therapy and Health education in people with Sickle Cell Disease, run by University of California, Irvine at 2 sites in United States.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

This is a multi-site, multi-visit feasibility RCT of music therapy (MT) among adolescent and adult patients (aged 14 and older) with sickle cell disease (SCD). Subjects will be randomized into one of three groups, either (1) 6 visits of in- person MT (InMT:); (2) 1 visit of in-person MT and 5 visits of virtual MT… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 14 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Sickle Cell Disease
What is being tested?
Music therapy and Health education
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
90 participants
Where
2 sitesUnited States
Study dates
2 Apr 2025to 31 Jan 2027
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

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 14 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Be aged >=14 years old
  • Have a diagnosis of SCD present in their electronic health record (EHR);
  • Meet Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations Innovations Opportunities and Networks-American Pain Society Pain Taxonomy (AAPT) criteria for chronic SCD pain which includes:
  • 3a. A diagnosis of SCD confirmed by laboratory testing (present in EHR per eligibility criteria 2)
  • 3b. Reports of ongoing pain present on most days over the past 6 months either in a single location or in multiple locations (to be obtained at screening)
  • 3c. Displaying at least one of the following signs on clinical exam (to be obtained from providers' clinical notes in the EHR
Show all 16Show fewer
  • Palpation of the region of reported pain elicits focal pain or tenderness;
  • Movement of the region of reported pain elicits focal pain;
  • Decreased range of motion or weakness in the region of reported pain;
  • Evidence of skin ulcer in the region of reported pain;
  • Evidence of hepatobiliary or splenic imaging abnormalities (e.g., splenic infarct, chronic pancreatitis) consistent with the region of reported pain; or
  • Evidence of imaging abnormalities consistent with bone infarction or avascular necrosis in the region of reported;
  • 3d. There is no other diagnosis that better explains the signs and symptoms (to be obtained from providers following referral and pre-screening)
  • 4. Be able to speak and understand English;
  • 5. Have an email address and access to mobile device with a functioning data plan
  • 6. Reporting that pain interfered with daily activities at least 1-2 days in the past week.

Who cannot join

  • Have a significant visual, hearing, or cognitive impairment
  • Have previously participated in the MUSIQOLS single-site pilot study at University Hospitals in 2018
  • Are currently engaging in mind-body therapies under the supervision of a healthcare professional specifically for pain management
  • Have a planned major medical event in the next 14 weeks such as (but not limited to) childbirth, orthopedic surgery, gene therapy, or stem cell transplant (These criteria do not include blood transfusions, exchange transfusions, or other pharmacologic pain treatment).
  • Qualitative interviews will be conducted with ~24 participants who received the interventions (with equal numbers across the InMT, HybMT and HybHE groups). Participants will be purposively sampled to include equal distribution across sites in proportion to recruitment.
  • Stakeholder surveys and qualitative interviews will be conducted among ~20 relevant staff stakeholders (~10 per site), including healthcare providers \& staff, music therapists and HybHE interventionists.

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Jeffery A Dusek, PhD contact

949-824-8841

jdusek@hs.uci.edu

Coretta Jenerette, PhD, RN contact

415-502-4242

Coretta.Jenerette@ucsf.edu

United States2 sites, 2 recruiting
  • UH Seidman Cancer Center Adult SCD Clinic or UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital Sickle Cell Anemia Center

    Cleveland, Ohio, 44106

    Amma Owusu-Ansah, MD

    Recruiting
  • Prisma Health Lifespan Comprehensive SCD Program

    Greenville, South Carolina, 29605

    Alan Anderson, MD

    Not yet recruiting

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: MULTIsite Feasibility of MUSIc Therapy to Address Quality Of Life in Sickle Cell Disease (MULTI-MUSIQOLS)

This is a multi-site, multi-visit feasibility RCT of music therapy (MT) among adolescent and adult patients (aged 14 and older) with sickle cell disease (SCD).

Subjects will be randomized into one of three groups, either (1) 6 visits of in- person MT (InMT:); (2) 1 visit of in-person MT and 5 visits of virtual MT (HybMT); or (3) 1 visit of in-person health education and 5 visits of virtual health education (HybHE).

Read more

Cohorts of 15 participants (10 at site 1 and 5 site 2) will be recruited each quarter for 6 quarters to reach 90 participants. Cohorts will maintain a semi-structured recruitment, consenting, assessment, and intervention schedule.

The primary objective of the study is to examine the feasibility of study. This is defined by 6 metrics: (1) completeness of data collection, (2) participant screening, (3) participant recruitment, (4) participant retention, (5) Individual attendance and (6) Home practice. A final determination of "feasibility" for the study will be met if any 4 of the 6 metrics described above are met.

This study will also include a secondary objective of conducting qualitative interviews to assess feasibility of implementation.

Read the detailed description

The objectives of this study are to (1) conduct a feasibility randomized control trial (RCT), to examine the data collection processes, and intervention (in-person music therapy [InMT], hybrid MT [HybMT], and hybrid health education [HybHE]) implementation overall and across 2 sites (University Hospitals/Case Western Reserve University [site 1] and Prisma Health/University of South Carolina [site 2]); and (2) evaluate the implementation of the InMT, HybMT, and HybHE interventions using both quantitative data (study records, stakeholder surveys) and qualitative data (interviews).

Three wellbeing programs for individuals with SCD will be compared: (1) InMT, (2) HybMT, and (3) HybHE. Each intervention includes 6 sessions. The treatment period for each group will be 6 to 8 weeks. Each weekly session will last up to one hour in all arms of the study. MT sessions in the InMT and HybMT arms will include the topics of SCD education and MT rationale, breathing exercises, relaxation, imagery, music making, and review and creation of a coping plan for future challenges. The HybHE group will use an adapted version of Project Patients Empowered and Educated Providers (PEEP). Covered topics include: science of SCD, identifying barriers in the Emergency Department, tools for navigating the healthcare system, healthcare based communication, and review and planning for future challenges.

Semi-structured qualitative interview topics will focus on participants' perceptions of the interventions, perceived benefits and burdens of the interventions, and other barriers and facilitators to in-person and hybrid delivery.

Being tested
Music therapy, Health education
Keywords
feasibility, music therapy, QoL, Sickle cell
Medical subject headings
Anemia, Sickle Cell

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Music therapyBehavioural

    Participants in the 2 experimental MT conditions (In person MT (InMT) or hybrid (inperson.virtual (HybMT) will receive 6 MT sessions over 6 weeks. Each MT session will last no longer than one hour. This 6-week treatment period may be extended to up to 8 weeks if a scheduling conflict prevents a participant from receiving the 6 MT sessions over 6 consecutive weeks.

  • Health educationOther

    The content for the HybHE control was adapted from Project PEEP: Patients Empowered and Educated Providers. The Sickle Cell Community Consortium developed Project PEEP with a grant from Global Blood Therapeutics. Project PEEP addresses unmet needs directly identified and prioritized by a collective of patients with SCD, caregivers, and community-based organizations. The objective is to provide the tools and resources to improve communication and increase positive patient-provider interactions to receive quality, timely care. For the proposed study, we will use modules from the curriculum developed for patients living with SCD.

Study groups in NCT06853158
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
InMTExperimentalParticipants in the InMT will receive 6 in-person MT sessions at the SCD center main campus, satellite campus, or another location preferred by the participant (e.g., community center).
Receives: Behavioral: Music therapy
HybMTExperimentalIndividuals randomized to Hybrid MT will receive 1 in-person MT session at the SCD center main campus, satellite campus, or another location preferred by the participant (e.g., community center) and 5 virtual MT sessions over secure telehealth platform (e.g. Zoom Health Professional).
Receives: Behavioral: Music therapy
HybHEActive comparatorParticipants in the HybHE condition will receive 1 in-person health education session at the SCD center main campus, satellite campus, or another location preferred by the participant (e.g., community center) and 5 virtual sessions over secure telehealth platform (e.g. Zoom Health Professional).
Receives: Other: Health education

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Multi Musiqols Overall Feasibility (achieving 4/6 of the secondary outcomes).

    There are 6 feasibility metrics: (1) Data quality (90%), (2) Screening rate (35%), (3) Recruitment rate (90%), (4) Retention rate (70%), (5) Individual attendance (70%) and (6) Home practice (70%). A final determination of "feasibility" for the study will be met if any 4 of the 6 metrics are met.

    Measured: through study completion, an average of 1 year

Secondary outcomes (6)
  1. Data quality and completeness (90% goal)

    This variable is described as being the number of data elements that are correctly completed in the Multi Musiqols REDCap project. The feasibility goal is 90%

    Measured: through study completion, an average of 1 year

  2. Successful Screening Rate of Enrolled Individuals (35% goal)

    The screening rate as those who were enrolled (i.e., provide written informed consent) divided by those approached for the study who met eligibility criteria. The feasibility goal is 35%.

    Measured: At enrollment

  3. Successful Recruitment of Participants into the Study (90% goal)

    This translates into randomizing 90% participants who provided written informed consent

    Measured: At Enrollment

  4. Successful Retention of Participants (70% goal)

    This metric is defined as the number of participants retained until the final survey time point (6-week follow-up) divided by the number of randomized participants.

    Measured: through study completion, an average of 1 year

  5. Successful Individual Attendance of Study Sessions (70% goal)

    We will consider individual attendance to be acceptable if a given participant attends 4 of 6 sessions in 8 weeks. These 4 sessions must include the first session and any 3 out of the 4 sessions between sessions 2-5. Individual session attendance will be deemed complete if the participant attends 2/3 of the session including (1) the introduction (discussing experience with the MT or HybHE exercise over previous week, providing education on rationale for intervention); (2) setting of the agenda; and (3) the main intervention (e.g., co-creating the music for the intervention, customizing the place and imagery to participants' preferences, experiencing and recording the intervention).

    Measured: through study completion, an average of 1 year

  6. Successful Individual Home Practice (70%)

    If a given participant practices intervention exercises at least once per week, this will be coded as engaging in the minimum dose of home practice.

    Measured: At 6 week follow-up

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted28 Feb 2025
  2. Study start2 Apr 2025
  3. Primary completion14 Dec 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completion31 Jan 2027 (estimated)

Resources

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
Other
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
Type/design of trial This is a multi-site, multi-visit feasibility RCT of three wellbeing interventions among patients aged 14 and older with SCD. Specific unit(s) of assignment and unit(s) of observation The unit of assignment is at the patient level. Specifically, patients with SCD enrolled from SCD centers will be randomly assigned to either InMT, HybMT or HybHE. The unit of observation is the patient.
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
90 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT06853158
Sponsor's protocol ID
5448
Other IDs
7R01AT012508-02
Acronym
MULTI-MUSIQOLS
Status last verified
Jan 2026
First submitted
19 Feb 2025
Last updated
29 Jan 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Rodgers-Melnick SN, Gorthi V, Foss A, Erande A, DiFrancesco K, Owusu-Ansah A, Anim S, Bretz S, Ketter P, Fuqua T, Anderson AR, Karasz A, Bailey L, Ezenwa M, Jenerette C, Dusek JA. MULTIsite feasibility of MUSIc therapy to address Quality Of Life in Sickle cell disease (MULTI-MUSIQOLS): protocol for a mixed-methods randomised controlled trial at two US medical centres. BMJ Open. 2026 Mar 9;16(3):e115036. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-115036.

    PubMed 41802789

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Music therapy and Health education in people with Sickle Cell Disease, run by University of California, Irvine at 2 sites 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 16 inclusion and 6 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: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites 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?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Jeffery A Dusek, PhD (949-824-8841, jdusek@hs.uci.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Multi Musiqols Overall Feasibility (achieving 4/6 of the secondary outcomes). (time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06853158, which also lists 1 linked publication.

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 29 Jan 2026.

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