Applying the ‘East Kent Outcomes System’ (EKOS) in music therapy — by Rhian Saville

Volume 10 (1) 2018 – Article (first published on 27 March 2016)

Full text [PDF]

Applying the ‘East Kent Outcomes System’ (EKOS) in music therapy

Rhian Saville

Abstract

This paper examines the current expectations for measuring clinical outcomes within the healthcare system in the UK, and introduces an application of the East Kent Outcomes System (EKOS) (Johnson & Elias 2010) as a means of measuring the clinical effectiveness of music therapy. The aim of the article is to describe how the system was implemented within Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and to demonstrate its use within music therapy practice. The application of EKOS is illustrated through a case study with a client in the Intellectual Disability Service. Examples are given of how the data gathered can be used for reporting the effectiveness of music therapy, along with implications for the future use of the EKOS within the music therapy profession.

Keywords

music therapy, outcomes, evaluation, clinical effectiveness, assessment and treatment, EKOS

Biography

Rhian Saville is Lead Clinical Specialist Music Therapist in the Intellectual Disability Service at Nottinghamshire Healthcare Foundation Trust. She trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and subsequently gained her MA from Anglia Ruskin University. She has over 20 years’ experience in working with children and adults with intellectual disability and has an interest in evaluating services and measuring therapeutic outcomes. Rhian has led the application of the East Kent Outcomes System (EKOS) for arts therapists across the Trust and runs bespoke training on the system for music therapists across the UK.

Email: rhian.saville@nottshc.nhs.uk