title: Perceptions of music therapy for older people among healthcare professionals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the perceptions of healthcare providers on music therapy and their recommendations on wider adoption in a hospital setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  A qualitative exploratory study employing short semistructured interviews using a thematic analysis method of data analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A qualitative exploratory study, employing short semistructured interviews was conducted in March 2015 in an urban teaching hospital to explore healthcare providers' attitudes towards and recommendations on music therapy. Convenience sampling was used for recruitment of hospital staff from a multidisciplinary geriatric unit. Only staff who had exposure, awareness, or participated in the hospital music therapy programme were asked to partake in an in-depth qualitative interview.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Themes emerging reflected a belief among hospital staff that music therapy was of benefit to patients and staff; perceptions of how a hospital music therapy programme should be implemented and a desire for expansion of the music therapy programme throughout the hospital setting.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Music therapy is of great importance to patients and healthcare professionals, and thus more attention is warranted to better integrate and advance this programme. This study is important because although numerous studies have examined music therapy from a patient health perspective, no report has analysed the perceptions of healthcare providers on this intervention and their recommendations on further development of music therapy services.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Waqas Ullah
authors.initials: WU
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Irin Arina
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Mohamad Onn Yap
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland Centre for Aging, Neurosciences, and Humanities, Trinity Center for Health Sciences, Tallaght Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Desmond
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland National Centre for Arts and Health, Tallaght Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Hilary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Moss
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009147:Music Therapy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Arts therapist; Care of the elderly; Music