Music Therapy in the Emergency Department

Music therapy interventions have proven to reduce anxiety, diminish stress, palliate pain, increase medical care satisfaction, and show benefits in acute symptom management. The emergency department is a concentrated hospital area where patients experience immediate physical and psychological needs. With music therapy's known benefits, it should be evident that music therapists belong in emergency situations, however, research highlighting music therapy interventions in the emergency department is lacking. This scoping review of the literature regarding music therapy in the emergency department is conducted to identify the state of current research, reveal relevant gaps in the existing literature, and recommend further research directions. Clinical recommendations for expansion into service with this population will be recommended.