NURS FPX 8004 Assessment 4 Literature Review

Theme 1: Music Therapy Outcomes in Chemotherapy Care

The effectiveness of supportive nurse interventions for adult oncology patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy has gained substantial research support for improving psychosocial outcomes and decreasing anxiety. In a randomized controlled trial, Ettenberger and colleagues (2025) found that incorporating group music therapy into chemotherapy sessions resulted in a notable decrease in the state of anxiety of chemotherapy patients and an enhancement in their well-being. In a similar line of research, Salgado et al. (2025) found that actively participating in structured music therapy (MT) interventions helped to decrease the stress and treatment side effect levels for patients and their caregivers. Both of the studies cited that structured music therapy helped to regulate emotions during music therapy and increased the well-being and health status of patients during chemotherapy beyond the levels of care that were provided in standard chemotherapy. Overall, the studies concluded that an effective non-pharmacological intervention to decrease anxiety in oncology therapy was music therapy.

Despite the plethora of studies documenting the benefits of music therapy for oncology patients, there were a few cases highlighted in the literature. In contrast, Ramón et al. (2023) and Feng & Wang (2023) compiled the same studies and pointed out the psychological and physical benefits, as well as improvements in the quality of life for patients of different oncology populations, in spite of the inconsistency of results for the different program delivery styles. Music-based methods within the cancer care environment, as described by Ramírez et al. (2023), were positively received, and in oncology care, there were consistent enhancements in emotional health and well-being from the work of Feng & Wang (2023). The evidence showed that the consistency and structuring of music therapy would likely be a stronger anxiety-reducing, wellness-enhancing approach and be a more helpful addition than usual care, which lacks psychosocial support. Music therapy, as the evidence shows, holds promise within the field of oncology for patients undergoing chemotherapy and supports having positive emotional outcomes.

Theme 2: Structured Music Therapy Programs and Standardized Implementation

Some of the sources discussed insist on the importance of systematic music therapy sessions and a systematic and cohesive use of music in the outpatient oncology chemotherapy setting. Asakawa and colleagues (2026) demonstrated that a structured group music therapy intervention decreased anxiety and promoted the psychological well-being of adult chemotherapy patients. Likewise, He et al. (2026) demonstrated that the structured music therapy sessions of patients and caregivers led to a reduction of anxiety, stress, and treatment-related adverse side effects. Together, both studies indicated that music therapy leads to improved emotional regulation during chemotherapy, especially with planned and systematic sessions. Out of the sessions offered, structured music therapy sessions had a greater likelihood to improve patient outcomes compared to informal and non-structured supportive sessions.

Standardized intervention models, as discussed by Mertens et al. (2025 and Hernandez et al. (2026, are crucial for designing interventions that integrate music therapy into clinical oncology day unit services and for ensuring that music therapy is relevant and routinely available as part of oncology care. Mertens et al. (2025) emphasized therapist-directed and structured interventions as critical for obtaining consistent and measurable reductions in anxiety, while Hernandez et al. (2026) described interventions that promote sustained positive emotional and mental health and wellness and quality of life improvements. However, the unacceptably high level of variability within everyday oncology care continues to pose a challenge for the integration of structured psychotherapeutic interventions in most clinical settings. Collectively, the studies suggest that within the context of oncology, standardized music therapy during chemotherapy represents an important psychological and emotional resource for care. The overall consensus is that the music therapy interventions as described have great potential for positive psychosocial impact on oncology care.

Theme 3: Structural and Relational Barriers to Music Therapy Implementation

A third important theme refers to organizational and interpersonal issues that hinder the consistent incorporation of music therapy for outpatient chemotherapy patients. Tsegaye et al. (2023) highlighted the lack of standard supportive care and the absence of formal guidelines, which resulted in inconsistent regular application of non-pharmacological methods in the clinical environment. In a similar vein, Lan et al. (2026) identified the barriers described by patients and professionals, including insufficient staff, scheduling barriers, issues with health insurance, and limited manpower of qualified music therapists. The findings of both studies reflected a critical deficit of music therapy services in the field of oncology due to the level of structuring. Overall, there was a clear absence of formally organized supportive means to achieve a fair and reasonable level of access to psychosocial modalities during chemotherapy.

On one hand, barriers to health systems obstruct the timely and efficient provision of support services like music therapy for oncology patients. On the other hand, Srivastava et al. (2025) surveyed barriers to services that could be of assistance, and their results show that participation was mostly determined by demographic, social, and clinical aspects. While Srivastava et al. (2025) identified barriers to access services of different patient groups, Zang et al. (2023) identified other barriers, which were experiential and organizational. The combined findings show that inadequate inter-professional collaboration, coupled with limited referral pathways, negatively impacts the integration of music therapy within the existing oncology practice. The assessment also indicates that the cohesive working relationships of health care providers facilitating services were positive. Respondents emphasized that music therapy should be offered more readily within outpatient chemotherapy settings, and, as such, overcoming structural and referral barriers to access music therapy more regularly is a priority.