{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:28:52Z","timestamp":1760059732720,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,3]],"date-time":"2025-07-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751500800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Cancer Institute of New South Wales","award":["2020\/ECF1163","APP2008300"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2020\/ECF1163","APP2008300"]}]},{"name":"National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia","award":["2020\/ECF1163","APP2008300"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2020\/ECF1163","APP2008300"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Music therapy in paediatric palliative care offers a unique opportunity for emotional support, legacy creation, and therapeutic connection for children and their families. This paper describes the Heartbeats Intervention, as delivered by a paediatric palliative care music therapist at Sydney Children\u2019s Hospital Australia. This intervention involves recording and creatively integrating the heartbeats of children and family members into personalised musical compositions. Originally inspired by music therapist Brian Schreck\u2019s work, the intervention has evolved to meet diverse therapeutic goals, from soothing children with serious illnesses (including cancer) with recordings of their families\u2019 heartbeats to creating legacy song tracks that support families through bereavement. Despite some logistical and resource challenges, the intervention has been well-received and continues to expand, including the integration of environmental soundscapes and broader community involvement, which allows the intervention to be experienced by a greater number of families. This paper contributes to the limited but growing literature on music therapy in paediatric palliative care, highlighting the Heartbeats Intervention as a flexible and meaningful way to enhance psychosocial support and connection for children and their families. Further research to evaluate its long-term impact and to explore children\u2019s direct experiences of the intervention is needed.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children12070884","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,4]],"date-time":"2025-07-04T03:47:26Z","timestamp":1751600846000},"page":"884","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Rhythm of Connection: Describing the Heartbeats Intervention for Patients and Families Receiving Paediatric Palliative Care"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0496-7329","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Holly E.","family":"Evans","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Behavioural Sciences Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine and Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, NSW 2031, Australia"},{"name":"Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children\u2019s Hospital, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Matthew","family":"Ralph","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Palliative Care, Sydney Children\u2019s Hospital, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1573-7844","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tiina","family":"Jaaniste","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Clinical Medicine, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, NSW 2031, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7704-7067","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claire E.","family":"Wakefield","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Behavioural Sciences Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine and Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, NSW 2031, Australia"},{"name":"Division of Quality of Life and Pediatric Palliative Care, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University and Stanford Medicine Children\u2019s Health, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4200-8900","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ursula M.","family":"Sansom-Daly","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Behavioural Sciences Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine and Health, Randwick Clinical Campus, Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Kensington, NSW 2031, Australia"},{"name":"Kids Cancer Centre, Sydney Children\u2019s Hospital, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia"},{"name":"Sydney Youth Cancer Service, Nelune Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"58","DOI":"10.1177\/13594575231196406","article-title":"Music therapy in Paediatric palliative care: A scoping review","volume":"37","year":"2023","journal-title":"Br. J. Music Ther."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"265","DOI":"10.6004\/jadpro.2024.15.4.4","article-title":"The Effect of Music Therapy as an Adjunctive Treatment in Pediatric Cancer Patients Receiving Traditional Therapies: A Systematic Review","volume":"15","author":"Cole","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Adv. Pract. Oncol."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"364","DOI":"10.1177\/02692163241230664","article-title":"Experiences of music therapy in paediatric palliative care from multiple stakeholder perspectives: A systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis","volume":"38","author":"Kammin","year":"2024","journal-title":"Palliat. Med."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"219","DOI":"10.1177\/1049909111429327","article-title":"Music therapy in pediatric palliative care: Family-centered care to enhance quality of life","volume":"29","author":"Lindenfelser","year":"2012","journal-title":"Am. J. Hosp. Palliat. Care"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"570","DOI":"10.1016\/j.aip.2014.10.006","article-title":"Music therapy in children\u2019s hospices: An evaluative survey of provision","volume":"41","author":"Hodkinson","year":"2014","journal-title":"Arts Psychother."},{"key":"ref_6","unstructured":"Schreck, B. (2025, June 03). Sounds of Life: Using Internal Sounds to Connect with the External World; International Association for Music & Medicine Newsletter. Available online: https:\/\/iammchina.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/PRESENTATION-SCHRECK.pdf."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"22","DOI":"10.47513\/mmd.v10i1.575","article-title":"Perinatal Music Therapy: Using Doppler Recordings to Connect and Create","volume":"10","author":"Schreck","year":"2018","journal-title":"Music Med."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1023","DOI":"10.1089\/jpm.2020.0447","article-title":"And the Beat Goes On: Heartbeat Recordings through Music Therapy for Parents of Children with Progressive Neurodegenerative Illnesses","volume":"24","author":"Walden","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Palliat. Med."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1409","DOI":"10.1089\/jpm.2022.0017","article-title":"Amplified Cardiopulmonary Recordings: Music Therapy Legacy Intervention with Adult Oncology Patients and Their Families\u2014A Preliminary Program Evaluation","volume":"25","author":"Schreck","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Palliat. Med."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"E159","DOI":"10.1097\/ANC.0000000000000910","article-title":"Music Therapy and Family-Integrated Care in the NICU: Using Heartbeat-Music Interventions to Promote Mother-Infant Bonding","volume":"22","author":"Corrigan","year":"2022","journal-title":"Adv. Neonatal Care"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"264","DOI":"10.1097\/ANC.0000000000001068","article-title":"Assessing HeartSong as a Neonatal Music Therapy Intervention: A Qualitative Study on Personal and Professional Caregivers\u2019 Perspectives","volume":"23","author":"Fagan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Adv. Neonatal Care"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"123","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jnn.2020.07.006","article-title":"The effect of the mother\u2019s heartbeat sound on physiological parameters and pain intensity after blood sampling in neonates in the intensive care unit: A randomized controlled clinical trial","volume":"27","author":"Sarhangi","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Neonatal Nurs."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"111","DOI":"10.21037\/apm-22-1269","article-title":"Effect of the sound of the mother\u2019s heartbeat combined with white noise on heart rate, weight, and sleep in premature infants: A retrospective comparative cohort study","volume":"12","author":"Zhang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ann. Palliat. Med."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1772","DOI":"10.1111\/apa.17297","article-title":"Music therapy in tertiary neonatal intensive care: A matter of unlikely allies?","volume":"113","author":"Jaschke","year":"2024","journal-title":"Acta Paediatr."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"362","DOI":"10.1177\/14767503231207993","article-title":"Heartbeat recordings in music therapy bereavement care following suicide: Action research single case study of amplified cardiopulmonary recordings for continuity of care","volume":"22","author":"Ghetti","year":"2024","journal-title":"Action Res."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"54","DOI":"10.1080\/07481187.2012.725451","article-title":"Bridging the Gaps in Palliative Care Bereavement Support: An International Perspective","volume":"38","author":"Breen","year":"2014","journal-title":"Death Stud."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Provasi, J., Blanc, L., and Carchon, I. (2021). The Importance of Rhythmic Stimulation for Preterm Infants in the NICU. Children, 8.","DOI":"10.3390\/children8080660"},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"75","DOI":"10.1093\/mtp\/miac003","article-title":"Associations between Music Therapy, Pain and Heart Rate for Children Receiving Palliative Care","volume":"41","author":"Delaney","year":"2022","journal-title":"Music Ther. Perspect."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1001","DOI":"10.1080\/07481187.2023.2223593","article-title":"The impact of continuing bonds following bereavement: A systematic review","volume":"48","author":"Hewson","year":"2024","journal-title":"Death Stud."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"273","DOI":"10.2190\/OM.61.4.b","article-title":"The Dual Process Model of Coping with Bereavement: A Decade on","volume":"61","author":"Stroebe","year":"2010","journal-title":"OMEGA-J. Death Dying"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"414","DOI":"10.1177\/0030222819893139","article-title":"A Systematic Review of the Dual Process Model of Coping With Bereavement (1999\u20132016)","volume":"84","author":"Fiore","year":"2021","journal-title":"OMEGA-J. Death Dying"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"452","DOI":"10.1089\/jpm.2017.0405","article-title":"A Summary of Pediatric Palliative Care Team Structure and Services as Reported by Centers Caring for Children with Cancer","volume":"21","author":"Weaver","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Palliat. Med."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1606","DOI":"10.1089\/jpm.2024.0141","article-title":"Alignment of Palliative Care Service Structure and Standards of Care for Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer: An International Survey of Clinical Practice","volume":"27","author":"Evans","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Palliat. Med."}],"container-title":["Children"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2227-9067\/12\/7\/884\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T18:04:12Z","timestamp":1760033052000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2227-9067\/12\/7\/884"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,3]]},"references-count":23,"journal-issue":{"issue":"7","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7]]}},"alternative-id":["children12070884"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/children12070884","relation":{},"ISSN":["2227-9067"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"2227-9067"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,3]]}}}