Objective: To assess the knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) toward music as therapy.

Background: Music has long been used for healing, with modern music therapy gaining scientific grounding during World War II. Despite global acceptance, access remains limited. Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects nearly 770,000 individuals in India and presents significant motor and non-motor challenges. Music-based interventions—including Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) for gait, voice exercises for dysarthria, chants and bhajans to support speech and swallowing, and ragas for relaxation—show therapeutic potential. Approaches within Music Therapy may help bypass dysfunctional basal ganglia circuits; however, their integration into Indian clinical pathways remains limited.

Method: A prospective questionnaire-based survey was conducted at a specialized movement disorders centre between September 2025 and February 28^th, 2016. The KAP questionnaire consisted of 40 items (9 Knowledge, 9 Attitude, and 7 Practice items).

Results: A survey of 335 stakeholders revealed high intellectual readiness for MT, with 91.2% recognizing it as a structured professional intervention and 88.5% aware of its influence on neurologic movement circuits. Despite a strong preference for culturally familiar music (Mean = 4.72/5), a clear practice paradox emerged: 81.25% engage with music daily, yet only 4.2% have experienced professional MT. A significant referral gap was also observed—only 12% of patients received formal clinical referrals—leaving many in the PD subgroup managing high-burden symptoms such as speech deficits (45.2%) and freezing of gait (32.6%) without structured MT support.

Conclusion: The results demonstrate a disconnect between stakeholder readiness and actual clinical application. To bridge the 12% referral gap, movement disorder specialists should formalize screening for gait and speech deficits as standard triggers for music therapy referral. Despite awareness, access to trained music therapists and structured therapy modules remains limited, highlighting the need to develop standardized music therapy programs and expand the trained workforce to support comprehensive care.

« Back to 2026 International Congress

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/music-as-therapy-a-kap-analysis-of-music-therapy-for-parkinsons-disease-in-india/