PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Neonatology
Perspective article: Challenges and Limitations of Evaluating the Efficacy of Music intervention for preterm infants: Auditory Development, Methodological Heterogeneity, Medical complexity, Parental involvement and environmental Barriers
Provisionally accepted
- 1Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- 2NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS, Tromsø, Norway
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Despite growing interest in music therapy (MT) as a supportive intervention in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), strong evidence for its long-term efficacy remains scarce. This perspective article explores the multifaceted challenges of implementing and evaluating MT in NICUs, particularly for preterm infants. These challenges include (1) limited understanding of premature auditory development, (2) environmental acoustics, (3) methodological inconsistencies in MT delivery, and the complex medical (4) and psychosocial (5) context of the NICU. Further compounding this issue is the underappreciation of parental involvement and the perception of MT among healthcare professionals. Addressing these gaps is essential for establishing standardized, effective MT protocols tailored to this vulnerable population.
Keywords: acoustic, Music, neurodevelopment, NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), preterm
Received: 30 Sep 2025; Accepted: 03 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Giordano, Kim, Berger and Gold. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Vito Giordano
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