The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the immediate effects of music therapy on fatigue in
patients on a bone marrow transplant unit during a single-session randomized wait-list controlled trial
utilizing an established psychometric instrument. Participants (N = 20) were randomly assigned to
experimental or control groups. Participants in the experimental group received music therapy prior to
completing the Lee Fatigue Scale (Lee, Hicks, & Nino-Murcia, 1991) while patients in the wait-list
control condition received music therapy services after they completed the instrument. There was a
significant between-group difference in the fatigue subscale, with experimental participants having less
fatigue than control participants. Experimental participants tended to have slightly higher mean energy
subscale scores than control participants. From the results of this study, it seems that music therapy can
have an immediate impact on fatigue in patients undergoing bone marrow transplants. Limitations and
suggestions for future research are provided.