How healthcare is catching up to Music Therapy

Have you ever felt like the results of medical care were more important than the process? Have you ever felt like numbers, such as your vital signs, lab results, and blood pressure, were more of a priority than how you felt about the treatments needed to achieve those numbers? You are not alone, and the main reason why you may have felt these ways is called, “evidence-based care.”

In efforts to maximize outcomes and reduce costs, our healthcare system turned to evidence-based care. While this approach met its goal to bring effective and efficient treatments to medicine, it has left the patient feeling unheard: values, preferences, and expectations for quality of life tended to be ignored.

It has become clear to healthcare providers that patients’ unique preferences, concerns, and expectations must be recognized. So, according to a 2017 article in the Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, there is a shift happening to what is called, “value-based medicine.”

What is this? Here, the importance of the patient’s values, preferences, and expectations for quality of life is being emphasized alongside effective medical treatments. Patients are being asked, “What matters most to you? What is your idea of quality of life? What do you want to get from your medical treatment?” This approach considers the answers to these questions as well as “What does it mean for a healthcare provider to be supportive of the patient?” “What decisions can the patient make for himself/herself?” And, “How do providers honor those decisions?”

What would it feel like for you to experience this recognition of your ability to make meaningful decisions? What would it be like for you to feel heard and supported? What would it be like to bring your unique preferences into your treatment experiences?

This is where healthcare begins to catch up to Music Therapy. In our work with patients, we create a supportive relationship and give you meaningful choices.

• We work within your musical preferences as artistic partners and hear you through your music making.

• We learn from you what it means to have quality of life.

• We guide you towards reaching that vision, even it if means challenging you from time to time.

As we work with you, we draw on over 60 years of research and best practices, our training, and our passion to give everyone the opportunity to live a harmonious life without limits.

References:

Marzorati, Chiara, and Gabriella Pravettoni. "Value as the key concept in the health care system: how it has influenced medical practice and clinical decision-making processes." Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare 10 (2017): 101.