ABSTRACT
Objective: This project evaluated the effect of patient education and music therapy delivered by telehealth on depression related to COVID19 among rural nursing home residents. Method(s): This was a prospective, pilot intervention involving 56 residents from three rural nursing homes. The study included a convenience sample of residents at three rural nursing homes. The mean age for the three groups ranged from 67-81 years of age. Participants received either patient education or combined patient education and music therapy as depression interventions. The primary outcome was the change in PHQ-9 scores from baseline to the end of an eight-week period. The secondary outcome was resident satisfaction as measured through an evaluation survey. Result(s): Of the 56 participants enrolled, 28 completed the study and were included in data analysis. Low pretreatment PHQ-9 implied minimal depression. Summary statistics show a 1.53 mean PHQ-9 change for those receiving education-only (53.6%) and a -1.16 PHQ-9 for those receiving combined therapy (46.4%) (p = 0.092). Results did not demonstrate positive outcomes on depression. A potential difference was noted among each facility. Two-thirds of participants rated their experiences as good to excellent. Conclusions and Implications: It appears that education played a positive role, yet music therapy delivered as telehealth did not show improvement in depression. Further studies are needed to determine the potential impact of non-pharmacological interventions in rural nursing home residents during the pandemic.