Hypnosis and music interventions for anxiety, pain, sleep and well-being in palliative care: systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Maintaining quality of life is a primary goal of palliative care (PC). Complementary interventions can help meet the needs of patients at the end of life.

Objectives: This meta-analysis aims to (1) evaluate the feasibility, acceptability and fidelity of music and hypnosis interventions designed for patients in PC and (2) evaluate the impact of these interventions on pain, anxiety, sleep and well-being.

Methods: Relevant studies were sourced from major databases. We selected both randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and studies relying on pre-post design with details of the intervention(s).

Results: Four RCT and seven non-randomised pre-post studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the feasibility and acceptability of the interventions reached an adequate level of satisfaction. However, only three studies reported using a written protocol. The meta-analysis of RCT indicated a significant decrease in pain with an effect size of -0.42, p=0.003. The small number of RCT studies did not allow us to quantify the effects for other variables. Analyses of data from pre-post designs indicated a favourable outcome for pain, anxiety, sleep and well-being.

Conclusion: Despite the limited number of studies included in our meta-analysis, hypnosis and music intervention in the context of PC shows promising results in terms of feasibility and acceptability, as well as improvements on pain, anxiety, sleep and well-being. The available studies are insufficient to compare the efficacy across interventions and assess the potential benefits of their combinations. These results underscore the importance of further research on well-described complementary interventions relying on hypnosis and music.

Prospero registration number: CRD-42021236610.

Keywords: complementary therapy; pain; psychological care; quality of life; supportive care.