The impact of NICU music therapy interventions on physical milestones and discharge time for preterm infants: a pilot study

The aim of this pilot study is to determine how neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) music therapy interventions affect vital signs (heart and blood saturation), weight gain, feeding milestones, discharge time and development for neonates when compared to standard care.

NICU care, while lifesaving, has been shown to have negative long-term consequences, which can include repeated activation of the stress response and reduced maternal interaction, with possible negative long-term impacts on brain development (Bos et al., 2021, Kraft et al., 2021 & Span et al., 2021).

The NHS (2019) published an action plan to implement recommendations for improving neonatal care. The report does not specify music therapy. However, initial research in the US and the Netherlands has shown clinically and statistically significant improvements on well-being, stress reduction and neural development in the neonate.

Beyond these crucial findings, music therapy had a positive effect on parent well-being, parent-child interaction and the overall reduction of noise levels on the ward (Anderson & Patel, 2018; Dokkum et al., 2020, 2021; Bos et al., 2021, Kraft et al., 2021 & Span et al., 2021).

This pilot study will inform and support further research in this area focusing on longer-term outcomes for NICU infants.

Study outline

The pilot would aim to deliver twice-weekly music therapy interventions over a 12-week period with infants in a NICU care setting. Data will be collected with a further six preterm infants who will be matched, where possible, for gestational age, weight, and gender. The project will consider physiological and developmental data in consultation with advisors from a Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) group.

Project partners

Chiltern Music Therapy (CMT) will provide the NICU music therapy practitioner who will deliver the intervention. CMT is one of the largest music therapy providers in the UK with 13 NICU-trained music therapists. CMT has won multiple awards in the health and wellbeing arena and has a research advisory committee who are US researchers in NICU-MT research.

We are thrilled to be running the project in collaboration with the NICU ward, at the Whittington Hospital, London.