Utilization, delivery, and outcomes of dance/movement therapy for pediatric oncology patients and their caregivers: A retrospective chart review Journal Article


Authors: Bryl, K.; Tortora, S.; Whitley, J.; Kim, S. D.; Raghunathan, N. J.; Mao, J. J.; Chimonas, S.
Article Title: Utilization, delivery, and outcomes of dance/movement therapy for pediatric oncology patients and their caregivers: A retrospective chart review
Abstract: Children with cancer and their caregivers face physical and psychosocial challenges during and after treatment. Dance/movement therapy (DMT) has been used to improve well-being, promote healthy coping, and mitigate the impact of illness, but limited knowledge exists regarding DMT utilization, delivery, and outcomes in pediatric oncology. This retrospective study aimed to identify reasons for referral to DMT, DMT visit characteristics, key DMT techniques and processes, and clinician-reported outcomes. We examined the electronic medical records of 100 randomly selected pediatric patients (resulting in 1160 visits) who received DMT services between 2011 and 2021. Sociodemographic, clinical, and visit characteristics, referral reasons, and clinician-reported outcomes were reported as frequency and proportions. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to identify key DMT techniques and processes. Among 100 patients (63% female, aged 0–27 years), 77.9% were referred for psychological distress and 19.6% for pain. Two distinct DMT approaches were used during visits: a traditional DMT approach (77%) and a multisensory DMT approach (23%). The most common visit length was 15–25 min (41.6%), followed by sessions of 30–45 min (22.5%) and ≤10 min (18.1%). A total of 61.9% of DMT visits were inpatient and 38.1% outpatient. Of all visits, 8.8% were new and 91.2% were follow-ups. Caregivers were engaged in treatment in 43.7% of visits, and 5.5% of visits focused entirely on the work with the caregiver. DMT intervention focused on self-expression, emotional self-regulation, coping strategies, socialization, and caregiver–child interaction. Clinician-reported outcomes included enhanced coping with hospital experience (58%), improved pain management (27%), improved self-regulation (21%), and increased physical activation (13.2%). The results suggest DMT as a supportive intervention for psychological distress and pain management in pediatric oncology patients and provide insights into DMT practices and outcomes to guide intervention development and future research.
Journal Title: Current Oncology
Volume: 30
Issue: 7
ISSN: 1198-0052
Publisher: Multimed Inc  
Date Published: 2023-07-01
Start Page: 6497
End Page: 6507
Language: English
DOI: 10.3390/curroncol30070477
PROVIDER: EBSCOhost
PROVIDER: cinahl
PMCID: PMC10378356
PUBMED: 37504337
DOI/URL:
Notes: The MSK Cancer Center Support Grant (P30 CA008748) is acknowledged in the PDF -- Corresponding author is MSK author: Karolina Bryl -- Source: Cinahl
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MSK Authors
  1. Suzi Tortora
    34 Tortora
  2. Jun J Mao
    247 Mao
  3. Soo Dam Kim
    4 Kim
  4. Karolina Lucja Bryl
    12 Bryl