CONTEXT: Existential and spiritual concerns in relation to palliative end-of-life care have received increasing attention over the past decade. OBJECTIVES: To review the literature specifically related to existential suffering in palliative care in terms of the significance of existential suffering in end-of-life care, definitions, conceptual frameworks, and interventions. METHODS: A systematic approach was undertaken with the aim of identifying emerging themes in the literature.
BACKGROUND: Music therapy is one of the most frequently used complementary therapies in different palliative care settings. Despite its long tradition and high acceptance by other health-care professionals, evidence on the effectiveness of music therapy interventions for terminally ill patients is rare. Recent reviews and health-care reports consistently point out the need of music therapists to provide an evidence-based rationale for their clinical treatments in this field.
BACKGROUND: Biopsychosocial treatments address the range of physical, psychological, and social components of chronic pain. OBJECTIVE: This review sought to determine how effective unimodal and multimodal biopsychosocial approaches are in the treatment of chronic pain. METHODOLOGY: The literature search identified three systematic reviews of the literature and 21 randomized controlled trials to provide the evidence for this review. RESULTS: The systematic reviews and 12 randomized controlled trials reported on chronic low back pain.