Clinician Education: Optimizing Music Choices for Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy

Abstract

Purpose:The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase clinician knowledge regarding evidence-based music selections for ketamine-assisted psychotherapy at a local clinic. Background: Ketamine is used to treat a variety of mental health issues. Set and setting have been identified as important variables that support the tolerability and efficacy of ketamine. Music is one key variable that clinicians can utilize to optimize the therapeutic experience; however, not every provider is knowledgeable regarding how to best do this. Methods: This quality improvement project was delivered as an educational presentation for clinicians at Tucson Counseling Associates. The presentation was created based on published literature and evidence provided as a multi-media PowerPoint lecture including examples of appropriate music choices and a case study. Data was collected through a pre- and post-survey questionnaire, which was used to assess baseline knowledge and knowledge gained after the lecture. The surveys utilized a five-item Likert scale and short-answer format questions. A number was assigned to each Likert scale rating (strongly disagree = 1, disagree = 2, neutral = 3, agree = 4, strongly agree = 5) and thenumber of responses for each item on the scale was factored in. Free text responses were reviewed for major themes. 12 Results:Participant perception of current clinic practices indicated that clinicians agreed that music was intentionally selected at Tucson Counseling Associates with an average Likert-scale score of 4.43. Clinicians agreed that they understood why certain music is used for patients. The post-survey results indicated a statistically significant improvement in knowledge gain compared to the pre-survey results. Participants strongly agreed that they learned valuable information during the presentation and that they intend to use the information in their future practice. The free-response questions indicated six unique ways in which participants intend to use this new information in their clinical practice and provided insights on how to improve the intervention moving forward. Conclusions: Results suggest the efficacy of an interactive multi-media PowerPoint lecture with an incorporated case study in increasing clinician understanding and confidence in choosing appropriate music choices for KAP sessions to help optimize the patient experience.