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Beyond curing and treating patients, health care must ensure their well-being, provide empathetic, close and compassionate care that takes into account their different spheres and sees them not as sick but as people. This humane treatment will also help them cope better with the disease and make their recovery quicker.
Thanks to these valuable collaborations for Hersill with various entities and professionals, we have been able to see first-hand the importance of humanizing healthcare.
Through our relationship with Musicos por la Salud, we have learned that music, accompanied by professionalism, dedication and sensitivity, is an instrument that allows us to improve the quality of life and the state of health of patients. We were able to experience this in an emotional day organized by the Hospital de Cuidados Laguna, with the support of Hersill, on the occasion of the World Day of Palliative Care, on October 12.
This center, dedicated to people in a situation of special fragility or who suffer diseases without expectations of healing, is firmly committed to this discipline: “We focus on the care of people when they need it most, as it is the final stage of their life, and we do it from all perspectives: technical, assistive, affective, cognitive and physical, and music is one of the best ways to achieve the well-being of patients in these moments of great fragility”, said David Rodríguez-Rabadan, General Director of the Hospital.
Positive impact on patients
The beneficial effects of music therapy were summarized by the medical director of this center, geriatrician Ana Laura Saldivar, who explained that music therapists are part of the team that serves patients and their families. “As professionals who work with people with chronic and advanced diseases, we must have a music therapist by our side, as we have observed very positive effects on patients,” she said. There are certain profiles that can benefit from music therapy, which we indicate after we have addressed the values and preferences of each patient and investigated the impact it can have on them. In his opinion, music has the ability to generate well-being, energy and peace, and its positive effect on the brain can help relieve anxiety and depression. Therefore, it is presented as a valuable non-pharmacological way to manage very difficult situations.
Music therapist Katia Marquez, with whom we have had the pleasure of collaborating on several occasions, helped drive this initiative at the Hospital de Cuidados Laguna, where she brought together six music therapists from different hospitals to share their knowledge, experiences and real cases of the benefits of music therapy in children with cerebral palsy, the support it provides for parents who must say goodbye to their newborn child and its effect on patients with severe brain damage.
Also, the experience of a music therapy service in the United States was exposed and the benefits of this practice when it takes place in a group, which enhances connection and mutual support. The technique of therapeutic songwriting, which allows patients to transform their emotions and leave an emotional legacy through music creation at the end of their lives, was also highlighted.
Call for more humane hospitals
That music therapy has positive effects on patients is well known to doctor Sergio Martínez, head of the Pediatric Senior Member Unit at Hospital Niño Jesus in Madrid, a center that is committed to this discipline with the support of Musicos por la Salud.
This specialist acquired knowledge of healthcare humanization during his training in the United States and later applied it in this children’s hospital, as he explained at the ‘Musica por la Salud’ conference that took place last May in the Congress of Deputies, with the collaboration of Medicina Responsable. According to this specialist, “the humanization of healthcare is a comprehensive approach that recognizes the patient beyond his clinical condition and considers his social, cultural and emotional dimension.”
Applying this concept to hospitals, which often have a hostile environment, is especially important in pediatrics, palliative care or geriatrics. Dr. Martinez has integrated the intrinsic values of art and sport into the Niños Jesus to ensure a happier stay for children in the hospital, as he believes their stay here should go far beyond medical and surgical treatment.
According to him, the effects of music are supported by numerous scientific studies, which demonstrate its benefits in hospitalized children, who have pathologies such as mental ones. Reduction of anxiety caused by medical tests, aid in better sleep or reduction of pain and the rate of medication to alleviate it, are some of the impacts of music therapy.
As the president and founder of Musicians for Health, Guillermo Giner, claimed at the Congress of Deputies, “the objective is for the Government of Spain and the autonomous governments to comply with the WHO recommendation and complement with live music health care to benefit people during illness or in vulnerable situations.”
Joy as an antidote
Another technique to bring peace and quiet to patients relies on a sense of humor. Studies show that theatrical or clowning techniques improve the mood of pediatric patients by 43 percent, reduce anxiety in 39 percent of adult cancer patients and rabia and anger by 40 percent.
In this regard, Hersill collaborates with the National Association of Not-for-Profit Hospital Clowns. Professionals from this organization come to hospitals to alleviate the hardships of being hospitalized.
Their work brings benefits to patients, their families and healthcare staff. Major improvements include a better subjective experience of hospital stay, better behaviour and increased cognitive flexibility. All of this generates emotional well-being, peace and reconciliation, which helps to better follow treatment and the recovery process.
Hersill’s commitment to these professionals and patients has made it possible for the project to be developed at the Hospital Clínico San Carlos, in Madrid. Through these types of collaborations, the company contributes to the humanization of health care, the work of health professionals and the improvement of people’s lives.
