Procedural Support with MT and Child Life

            I’ve had the opportunity to observe procedural support with music therapy and child life.  These professions obtain the same goal using different strategies.  I feel that both are equally successful and combining tactics from each will strengthen interventions.

            From my point of view, child life is more educational based. They prepare the patient by teaching what is going to happen during the procedure, why they need to do the procedure, and show the equipment that will be used so the patient is more comfortable.  One child life specialist I observed incorporated deep breaths, and narrated what was happening during the procedure while using distraction objects. If the patient’s attention was focused on the procedure, the specialist would explain what was happening and redirect the patient’s attention to the distraction object.

            Music Therapy is more distraction based. MT’s don’t associate themselves with the procedure or the equipment so they don’t appear threatening. The MT will start the session prior to the procedure and will distract the patient until after the procedure. When a painful part of the procedure is coming the MT will make sure distraction is at the highest. One reason music is beneficial is because it masks any sounds that would come off threatening to the patient.

            I believe that both methods of procedural support are effective and music therapists can learn a lot from child life. Combining some MT tactics with child life tactics will make procedural support stronger for music therapy. Patients with the cognitive ability to understand what is happening during a procedure will benefit from the education. Patients won’t feel as if they’re being punished if they understand what is happening.