Milieu Music Intervention Within a Complex Psychiatric Population

Purpose: This project evaluated staff perceptions of the milieu before and during a therapeutic passive listening music intervention.
Question: What effect does a music intervention have on milieu assessment scores according to the unit staff of an inpatient psychiatric unit serving complex psychiatric patients?
Sample and Setting: The sample consisted of a rotating staff of over 30 dayshift medical professionals in an acute care psychiatric unit that serves both civil and forensic patients. Measures: The Ward Dropout Scale (WDS) and Ward Discharge Rate Scale (WDRS) (Moos, 1996), were used to assess social indicators within the climate of the milieu.
Method: A one-group pre-test/ post-test design was used to examine if a daily recurring, passive listening music group for complex psychiatric patients affected staff perceptions of the therapeutic milieu.
Procedures: Staff responded to two subscale surveys of the original Ward Assessment Scale (WAS), one week before and then intermittently during the two-week music intervention.
Results: Response trends from the Ward Dropout Scale (WDS) and the Ward Discharge Rate Scale (WDRS) (N=45) were significant. Pre-post survey sample (n=7) results produced a reduction in mean from above the national average (M = 5.47) to below national average (M=5.57 to M= 4.57) on the WDS. Pre-post results from the WDRS indicate no change (M = 6.42 to M = 6.14).
Nursing Implications: Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNP) assigned to care for patients on psychiatric units can implement proactive measures to increase the quality of therapeutic milieus. Keywords: therapeutic, milieu, music intervention