The Feasibility of a Music Listening Intervention on the Incidence, Severity, and Duration of Delirium in the Older Acute Care Patient: A Feasibility Trial

Background.Delirium is an acute change in cognition in response to some form of noxious insult whichhas been shown to last for up to one year post occurrence and may lead to permanent cognitive decline.As a non-pharmacological treatment, music may aid in improving patient engagement and attention. Method. An integrative review (IR) was used to synthesize current literature examining the effectof a musicinterventionon delirium in older acute care patients. Results. Systematicdatabase searches (2000-2019) yielded fourstudies that included a music listeningintervention.This IR found that collaborative music listening interventions (not music therapy), have been shown to decreasedelirium in the older acute care patient, and that collaborative music interventions between nurses and music therapists are largely unexplored. Conclusion. Non-pharmacological music interventionshave been used to reduce delirium incidence in older adults. Collaborative music listening interventions may help maintain cognitive function in this vulnerable population and requires further investigation.