Optimizing a Nurse-Led Receptive Music Therapy (FEMT) Process to Improve Depression Symptoms Among Individuals With a History of Stroke: The Development of an Evidence-Based Complex Intervention Using the MRC Framework.

Chinese traditional five-element music therapy (FEMT), a receptive music therapy, has remarkable effect in intervening depression symptoms among individuals with a history of stroke, yet its content for depression is often unclear. We aim to construct an evidence-based complex intervention by MRC Framework. We first established 10-person program. Then, guided by the "Clinical Training Guide for Music Therapists" theoretical framework and informed by the findings of semi-structured interviews for interview clinical medical staff including doctors and nurses, six topics were determined. Subsequent, evidence from two parts was classified and synthesized, forming 17 recommendations (15 A-level, 2 B-level). After content validity assessment, a final program with six themes of 19 items for pilot departments was developed. Finally, we compiled potentially feasible and important implementation strategies. The results offer a clear specification of the FEMT intervention for depression, providing basis for the next step of transformation and application of five-element music in clinical practice. Since our research was carried out in the Chinese context, we emphasize the need for further research to explore the applicability of our intervention in diverse cultural settings. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: ChiCTR2100053737.