title: Treating Palliative Care Patients with Pain with the Body Tambura: A Prospective Case Study at St. Joseph's Hospice for Dying destitute in Dindigul South India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Body Tambura is a recently invented stringed instrument that is used for receptive music therapy designed to be placed and attached on the human body. The aim of this study was to record perceived effects of a treatment with the Body Tambura on palliative care patients with special reference to pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective case study was carried out with patients of St. Joseph's Hospice for Dying Destitute in Dindigul/South India. Patients were treated with a treatment after baseline assessment and also on the next day. Outcomes were measured quantitatively by using a numeric rating scale (0-10, 10 maximum intensity of pain felt) at baseline, directly after treatment, and the day after the treatment to determine the intensity of the pain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten patients (five women and five men) participated in the study. The majority described the therapy as a pleasant experience. The pain intensity at baseline was reduced from 8.3 ± standard deviation (SD) 1.16 to 4.6 ± 1.52 at day 1 and from 4.6 ± 2.07 to 2.4 ± 1.58 at day 2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A clinically relevant pain reduction was described as short time outcome; the therapy was received and perceived well. Forthcoming research should include a control group, randomization, a larger number of participants, and a longer period of treatment.
authors.affiliation: Private Practice for Psychotherapy, Musictherapy, Relaxationtherapy, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Cordula
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.affiliation: Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Teut
authors.affiliation: Department of Co-operation, Faculty of Rural Social Sciences, Gandhigram Rural University, Gandhigram, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Kakuko Lopoyetum
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Samwel
authors.affiliation: Department of Gandhian Thought and Peace Science, Gandhigram Rural University, Gandhigram, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Narayanasamy
authors.affiliation: Founder and Director of St. Joseph's Hospice/Dindigul, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rathapillil
authors.affiliation: Saghaya Annai Church, Salaigramam, Sivagangai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thathews
keywords: Body Tambura; Pain; Palliative care; Receptive music therapy