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Astell et al ( 2019 ) found that remote socialising with familiar people could improve mood for people with dementia , but no research exists currently to underpin the use of iPads to support remote music provision in any setting .
So , with the current project we sought to identify whether music provision could be provided remotely , as opposed to directly , by using an iPad , and whether this mode of delivery had benefits to patients , such as improved mood , reduced isolation and relaxation , as highlighted in the previous Let there be love report .
However , it was not possible to replicate the method previously used , due to staffing limits in collecting data and the absence of inter-rater reliability information about the questionnaires used .
Instead , the Arts Observational Scale ( ArtsObS ) ( Fancourt and Poon 2016 ) was used to measure the impact on patient mood , patient engagement and relaxation .
Why the ArtsObS tool ?
The ArtsObS tool was devised to evaluate arts projects in healthcare settings and can be used to generate descriptive statistical data on the interventions . It was developed specifically with short stay , acutely unwell patients in mind .
The tool was selected to enable the current project to be compared with the findings of the Let there be love report , in the absence of a reliable measuring tool from that study , and to facilitate continued evaluation of Wellspring musical intervention .
The tool consists of a seven-point
Likert scale to report mood at the beginning and end of the session , and a threepoint Likert scale to report markers of relaxation , such as muscular relaxation , jaw relaxation , soft lips , slow breathing and falling asleep .
A three-point Likert scale is also used to report distraction from hospital during the session , by measuring the level of engagement with the musician .
This latter scale has some relevance to reduction of feelings of isolation as , by showing engagement with the session , the patient is experiencing a social interaction . It has been found to have high inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity .
A range of experiences
This project was delivered and evaluated over a six-week period . An internal staff member carried the iPad from patient to patient and introduced the session . They held the iPad so that patients could see and hear the musician , who played music based on patients ’ verbal preference or signs of engagement .
If patients did not want music and expressed this verbally or behaviourally , for example , by turning away or by showing facial signs of distress , the session was not delivered .
The project ran for 12 sessions , and each session lasted for around two hours , reaching 41 patients . Data was collected by two members of NUH staff and analysed by a member of staff who had not been involved in running the sessions .
February 2022 OTnews 47