Music in health care continuum: A guide to our practices within a large hospital system in the United States

This article offers a continuum that we use to delimit the use of music in our large hospital system in the U.S. We have found that there is confusion arising from inconsistent terminology such as “music therapy,” “music intervention,” and “music listening.” Our framework, derived from the current literature and multidisciplinary insights, serves to clarify professional roles, qualifications, and levels of patient engagement across the hospital care continuum. We outline six practices: Music Experiences (ME), Music Integration (MI), Music Therapy Guided Programming (MTGP), Music Therapy (MT), Music Medicine (MM), and Music-Assisted Interventions (MAIs). Each practice is defined by its intent, from non-clinical enhancement to clinical interventions, required provider training, levels of patient & caregiver involvement, and overall objectives. We aim to establish a shared vocabulary that fosters collaboration and ensures safe and effective integration of music into the patient experience while highlighting the importance of clear role delineation to prevent ethical dilemmas and harm. By standardizing terminology and practice boundaries, we hope to provide a foundation for future practice, research, and curriculum development for the use of music in a hospital setting.