Distribution and Conduct of Clinical Trials Involving Music Therapy: Registered Clinical Trials in the Last 15 Years

Objective: This study aimed to conduct an evaluation of music therapy clinical trials worldwide, to understand what trials have been conducted and to show the chronological changes. Additionally, we sought to clarify issues related to providing clinical trial registration information. Methods: We searched the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) database for “music therapy,” and identified the disease target for each article found. Results: A total of 150 clinical trial studies were found in the ICTRP using the term “music therapy.” In these trials, music therapy was used for improvement of social functioning in schizophrenia and/or serious mental disorders, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and cancer symptoms. Twenty-five clinical trials were actively recruiting. Sixteen of the 25 trials were registered in the United States at ClinicalTrials.gov, of which 9 trials were conducted in the US. Seven trials were conducted in other countries such as Spain, Taiwan, and China. Conclusion: A search for music therapy clinical trials retrieved 150 trials from the ICTRP, and the number of clinical trial registrations has increased yearly. Music therapy is widely used in patients with various diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, and arthritic pain and has the potential to improve certain disease outcomes, but there is not enough evidence to substantiate its efficacy. It is important to enlighten researchers and pharmaceutical companies on the proper management of the quality of such clinical trial information, as this is an important issue.