323: Effect of Music Care� in Pain and Anxiety for Patients in Palliative Care: a Pilot Study in Mali

Topic: Clinical Science
Subtopic: Non-specific to any diagnosis, Non-pharmacological treatments, Digital Health Technologies , Pain in special populations (e.g. neonates, children, teens, elderly, neurodegenerative diseases)

Background and Aims: The World Health Organization has defined since 2002 palliative care as care provided to people with a disease with reserved prognosis. Their goal is to achieve the best possible quality of life, including pain relief [1]. Digital technologies are increasingly being used to strengthen national health systems [2,3]. Recent publications have described the effects of musical interventions on pain and anxiety [4,5]. However, few studies have focused on their impact on the African continent and particularly in Mali. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the effects of Music Care© on pain and anxiety in end-of-life patients.

Methods: Patients hospitalized in palliative care at the medical oncology department of CHU Mère-Enfant le Luxembourg (Bamako, Mali) were included in this study and received a music intervention session. The session is based on the use of the digital app Music Care©, a medical device, which relies on listening to the « U Sequence », based on the principles of musical hypnoanalgesia [6,7]. The primary endpoint was the level of pain assessed using verbal numeric rating scale (NRS) measured before and after the session. The secondary criteria were the level of anxiety (NRS) satisfaction (NRS).

Results: A total of 100 patients were included in the study, with a mean age of 46.2 years (13.8). Nearly 3/4 of the patients (72%) were women. A significant reduction (p<0.0001) in the level of pain was observed from 4.6 (±4.5) before the session to 3.3 (±3.6) after the session, corresponding to a 30% decrease. The anxiety level decreased significantly (-2.4 (±2.2), decrease of 31%, p<0.0001). The average satisfaction was 7.6 (±3.2).

Conclusions: This study suggests that the medical device Music Care© may be effective in treating pain and anxiety (30% and 31% decrease, respectively) in end-of-life patients in Africa. A very high satisfaction from the patients was also noted. This simple-to-use technique fits perfectly into a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to pain management.

References: [1] Glover TL, Kluger BM (2019). Palliative medicine and end-of-life care. Handbook of Clinical Neurology 167:545-561.
[2] World Health Organization (2021). Global strategy on digital health 2020-2025. Retrieved November 1, 2023 from https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/documents/gs4dhdaa2a9f352b0445bafbc79ca799dce4d.pdf
[3] Tangcharoensathien V, Labrique A, Lakhotia D et al (2025). Harnessing digital health to achieve equitable and efficient health systems. Bull World Health Organ 103(2):82-82A.
[4] Finucane AM, O'Donnell H, Lugton J et al (2021). Digital health interventions in palliative care: a systematic meta-review. NPJ digital medicine 4(1):64-64.
[5] Portz JD, Cognetta S, Bekelman DB (2018). Potential Technology Development for Palliative Care. J Palliat Med 21(7):899-900.
[6] Guetin S, Ginies P, Siou DK et al (2012). The effects of music intervention in the management of chronic pain: a single-blind, randomized, controlled trial. Clin J Pain 28(4):329-337.
[7] Guétin S, Chanques G, Samir Jaber, Gilles Boccara, Luc Brun, Emmanuelle Vuillaume Cerdan, Gilles Guerrier, Nadine Mackenzie, Patrick Giniès, Jacques Touchon. Development, standardization and evaluation of a digital application for care through music: Example of the ‘‘Music Care©’’ Medical Device (MD), Douleurs : Evaluation – Diagnostic – Traitement 2025; 26(4): 217-229.

Presenting Author: Stephane Guetin
Submitting Author: Stephane Guetin

Senior Author: Jacques Touchon

IASP 2026 Global Year theme of Neuropathic Pain: No

• Ramata Ly - Service d'Oncologie Médical, CHU Mère-Enfant le Luxembourg, Hamdallaye, Bamako, Mali
• Salamata Maiga - Service d'Oncologie Médical, CHU Mère-Enfant le Luxembourg, Hamdallaye, Bamako, Mali
• Madani Ly - Service d'Oncologie Médical, CHU Mère-Enfant le Luxembourg, Hamdallaye, Bamako, Mali
• Stephane Guetin - Laboratoire de Psychologie Clinique et Psychopathologie (LPCP EA4056), Université Paris René Descartes, Paris 5, France
• Luc Brun - Clinique de la douleur, CH Narbonne, Narbonne, France
• Jacques Touchon - Department of Neurology, INSERM, Montpellier University Hospital, Montpellier, France