What are the benefits and risks of music for people receiving haemodialysis (using a machine to help their kidneys clean their blood)?

Key messages

• People whose kidneys stop working properly need to have haemodialysis (a procedure where a machine is used to remove waste products and excess salts and fluid from the blood). Music-based activities during haemodialysis may reduce tiredness and pain in the short term (up to four weeks) and may reduce low mood in the short and medium term (up to six months).

• The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of music-based activities on medium-term tiredness and on blood pressure in the short and medium term. No studies measured tiredness, blood pressure, or low mood beyond six months, and no studies evaluated pain beyond four weeks.

• More studies are needed to be sure of the effects of music-based activities on people having haemodialysis. New studies should include more people and measure the activities' effects for a longer time.

What is kidney failure and haemodialysis?

Kidney failure is a condition where the kidneys no longer function well enough to keep a person alive. Haemodialysis is a procedure where a machine is used to remove waste products and excess salts and fluid from the blood. People receiving haemodialysis often face major physical, mental, and emotional challenges.

How might music-based activities help?

Music-based activities include simply listening to recorded music through headphones during dialysis, as well as live music or structured music therapy sessions led by trained professionals. These approaches are used as non-drug strategies to help people feel more relaxed, less stressed, and improve their overall well-being.

What did we want to find out?

We wanted to find out whether music-based activities affect tiredness, blood pressure, low mood, and pain in people receiving haemodialysis.

What did we do?

We searched for studies that compared music-based activities with usual care or other activities, like wearing headphones without music, for people receiving haemodialysis. We combined the results of the studies where possible and considered how trustworthy the evidence was, based on factors such as study design and the number of people in the study.

What did we find?

We found 27 studies involving a total of 1584 people receiving haemodialysis. The studies took place in 13 countries and territories across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.

• Music-based activities may reduce tiredness in the short term (up to four weeks), but the evidence is very uncertain about their effect on tiredness in the medium term (four weeks to six months). No studies looked at tiredness in the long term (beyond six months).

• The evidence is very uncertain about the effects of music-based activities on blood pressure in the short and medium term. No studies looked at blood pressure in the long term.

• Music-based activities may reduce low mood in the short and medium term. No studies looked at low mood in the long term.

• Music-based activities may reduce pain in the short term. No studies looked at pain in the medium or long term.

What are the limitations of the evidence?

Our confidence in the evidence is low or very low. Many studies were small and had problems with their design that may have affected their findings. Results also varied between studies, and in some cases the studies included too few people to be sure of their results. There was no evidence about the long-term effects of music-based activities on tiredness, blood pressure, low mood, and pain in people receiving haemodialysis.

How up to date is this evidence?

The evidence is up to date to May 2025.