Five-element music therapy combined with TCM comprehensive rehabilitation significantly improves psychological state, nutritional status, and sleep quality in hospitalised patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis, though liver function indicators did not differ significantly between groups.
Key Findings
Results
Both treatment groups showed significant improvements in psychological state, liver function, nutritional status, and sleep quality after the nursing intervention.
Improvements were observed in SAS, SDS, liver function markers, nutritional status indicators, and PSQI scores in both groups
All within-group improvements reached statistical significance (P < 0.05)
Study included 156 hospitalised patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis from June 2022 to March 2024
Retrospective analysis design was used
Results
The five-element music therapy combined group showed significantly greater reductions in anxiety and depression scores compared to the TCM-only group.
The five-element music therapy group exhibited significant reductions in SAS (Self-rating Anxiety Scale) scores compared to the TCM comprehensive rehabilitation group (P < 0.05)
SDS (Self-rating Depression Scale) scores were also significantly more reduced in the music therapy combined group (P < 0.05)
The combined group had 80 cases; the TCM-only group had 76 cases
Between-group differences in SAS and SDS favored the music therapy combined group
Results
Sleep quality improved significantly more in the five-element music therapy combined group than in the TCM-only group.
PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) scores were significantly more reduced in the five-element music therapy combined group (P < 0.05)
Both groups showed within-group improvements in PSQI scores post-intervention
The between-group difference in PSQI scores favored the combined music therapy approach
Results
Nutritional status outcomes for prealbumin and appetite were significantly better in the five-element music therapy combined group.
PA (prealbumin) scores showed better improvement in the music therapy combined group (P < 0.05)
SNAQ (Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire) scores also showed significantly better improvement in the combined group (P < 0.05)
Nutritional status was assessed using haemoglobin, prealbumin, total protein, Nutritional Risk Screening 2002, and SNAQ
Both groups showed nutritional improvements, but the combined group outperformed on PA and SNAQ specifically
Results
Liver function indicators improved in both groups but did not differ significantly between the two groups.
Liver function markers assessed included ALT, AST, TBIL, DBIL, and ALB
No statistically significant between-group differences were observed for any liver function indicator (P > 0.05)
Both groups showed improvements in ALT, AST, TBIL, DBIL, and ALB within their respective groups
This suggests that five-element music therapy did not provide additional benefit over TCM rehabilitation alone for liver function parameters
Methods
The study population consisted of 156 hospitalised patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis divided into two retrospective cohort groups.
76 patients received TCM comprehensive rehabilitation alone
80 patients received five-element music therapy combined with TCM comprehensive rehabilitation
Patients were hospitalised between June 2022 and March 2024
Study design was retrospective analysis
What This Means
This research suggests that adding five-element music therapy — a traditional Chinese practice that uses specific musical scales believed to correspond to different organs and emotional states — to standard Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) rehabilitation care can provide meaningful additional benefits for patients hospitalized with advanced (decompensated) liver cirrhosis. The study compared 80 patients who received the combined approach against 76 who received TCM rehabilitation alone, and found that the music therapy group experienced greater improvements in anxiety, depression, and sleep quality, as well as better improvements in appetite and a specific nutritional marker called prealbumin.
Importantly, both groups improved across all measured outcomes including liver function tests, nutritional status, and psychological wellbeing — suggesting that TCM rehabilitation itself is beneficial. However, the addition of music therapy appeared to provide extra benefit specifically for mental health and sleep, which are areas that significantly affect quality of life for people living with serious chronic illness. Liver function blood test results (such as ALT, AST, and bilirubin) improved in both groups equally, meaning music therapy did not appear to directly affect the physical liver disease process itself.
This research suggests that integrating music-based interventions into hospital care for liver cirrhosis patients may be a low-risk way to improve patient wellbeing, particularly for psychological distress and sleep problems that commonly accompany serious liver disease. Because this was a retrospective study — meaning it looked back at existing patient records rather than randomly assigning treatments — the findings should be interpreted with some caution, and future randomized controlled trials would help confirm these results.
Jiang L, Zhang L, Chen S, Wang Y. (2026). Effects of Five-Element Music Therapy Combined with Traditional Chinese Medicine Rehabilitation on Clinical Outcomes in Decompensated Liver Cirrhosis.. Noise & health. https://doi.org/10.4103/nah.nah_169_25