Does listening to music in acute stroke improve outcomes?

Evidence indicates that daily listening to music can improve outcomes in patients recovering from a recent stroke. This study investigated the feasibility and impact of music-listening in addition to standard stroke unit care. It was hypothesized that patients (N = 38) who listened to 70 hours of self-selected music via MP3 players in the first 12 weeks post stroke in addition to standard stroke unit care would experience improved outcomes compared with patients who received standard stroke care alone. Adherence was monitored via weekly diary entries with regular phone contact from researchers. This single-blinded, two armed quasi-randomized pilot study recruited adult participants diagnosed with a recent stroke (≤7 days). The primary outcomes were depression and cognition (memory and attention) at 3 month and the secondary outcomes were anxiety, language, disability and quality of life at 3 or 6 months. Of the 38 participants 11 had a prior history of stroke and 8 died during follow- up. There were no between-group differences in baseline characteristics and no between-group differences in any outcome over time. Adherence to the listening-to-music intervention was low (22.2%). This study demonstrates the feasibility of adding daily listening to music to standard stroke unit care. However, compliance was low. Although those in the intervention group reported that listening to music was a positive experience, it was not associated with any differences in outcomes of interest