Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Apr 19;20(8):5580.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20085580.

International Music Therapists' Perceptions and Experiences in Telehealth Music Therapy Provision

Amy Clements-Cortés  1 , Marija Pranjić  1   2 , David Knott  3 , Melissa Mercadal-Brotons  4 , Allison Fuller  5 , Lisa Kelly  6 , Indra Selvarajah  7 , Rebecca Vaudreuil  8
Affiliations

International Music Therapists' Perceptions and Experiences in Telehealth Music Therapy Provision

Amy Clements-Cortés et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The use of telehealth within music therapy practice has increased through necessity in recent years. To contribute to the evolving evidence base, this current study on Telehealth Music Therapy (TMT) was undertaken to investigate the telehealth provision experiences of music therapists internationally. Participants completed an anonymous online cross-sectional survey covering demographics, clinical practice, telehealth provision, and telehealth perceptions. Descriptive and inferential statistics, in combination with thematic analysis, were used to analyze the data. A total of 572 music therapists from 29 countries experienced in providing TMT took part in this study. The results showed that the overall number of clinical hours (TMT and in-person hours combined) declined due to the pandemic. Participants also reported reduced perceived success rates in utilizing both live and pre-recorded music in TMT sessions when compared to in-person sessions. Although many music therapists rose to the challenges posed by the pandemic by incorporating TMT delivery modes, there was no clear agreement on whether TMT has more benefits than drawbacks; however, reported benefits included increased client access and caregiver involvement. Furthermore, a correlation analysis revealed moderate-to-strong positive associations between respondents who perceived TMT to have more benefits than drawbacks, proficiency at administering assessments over telehealth, and perceived likelihood of using telehealth in the future. Regarding the influence of primary theoretical orientation and work setting, respondents who selected music psychotherapy as a primary theoretical orientation had more experience providing TMT prior to the pandemic while those primarily working in private practice were most inclined to continue TMT services post-pandemic. Benefits and drawbacks are discussed and future recommendations for TMT are provided.

Keywords: COVID-19; music therapy; survey; telehealth; telehealth music therapy (TMT).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Change in clinical hours prior to and since COVID-19.
Figure 2
Figure 2
TMT benefits vs. drawbacks.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Providing TMT post-pandemic.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Perceptions of caregiver involvement during TMT.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. United States Department of Health Information Technology What Is Telehealth? Frequently Asked Questions. [(accessed on 10 February 2023)];2023 Available online: https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-telehealth-how-telehealth-different-te....
    1. Hyder M.A., Razzak J. Telemedicine in the United States: An introduction for students and residents. J. Med. Internet Res. 2020;22:e20839. doi: 10.2196/20839. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Peretti A., Amenta F., Tayebati S.K., Nittari G., Mahdi S.S. Telerehabilitation: Review of the state-of-the-art and areas of application. JMIR Rehabil. Assist. Technol. 2017;4:e7. doi: 10.2196/rehab.7511. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. National Centre for Hearing Assessment and Management Telehealth and EHDI Systems. 2023. [(accessed on 20 February 2023)]. Available online: https://www.infanthearing.org/telehealth/index.html.
    1. New England Journal of Medicine What Is Telehealth? [(accessed on 10 February 2023)];NEJM Catal. 2018 4 Available online: https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.18.0268. - DOI

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources