Effects of music on patient anxiety - Research

AORN Journal,  Feb, 2003  by Esther Mok,  Kwai-Yiu Wong

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In addition, the findings from descriptive data support the conclusion that music, from the patients' perspective, was considered helpful when patients were undergoing surgery with local anesthesia. Listening to music with headphones can mask surrounding sounds, and it helps patients relax and direct their attention away from a stressful event. The music they selected also helped them gain a certain degree of control over a strange environment. Their sense of familiarity stemmed from beloved music, which further helps them escape to their own world.

Special attention also should be paid to the choice of music. Music chosen and favored by patients has the greatest impact on helping patients relax. For that, respect for everyone's choice and taste is crucial to optimize the effect. Perioperative nurses, however, should remember that not every patient considers listening to music a relaxing experience. Some patients simply do not like music at all. Enhanced communication with patients during preoperative interviews to get accurate information concerning their preferences is paramount if perioperative nurses are striving for quality patient-centered care. Although this study has demonstrated the effect of music on reducing patients' anxiety, the effect of other variables (eg, medication, individual personality) cannot be ruled out.

LIMITATIONS OF STUDY

The generalizability of this study is limited because all data were collected in one hospital. Any conclusions and generalizations reached may be applicable only to this particular population. Another methodology issue that needs to be addressed in this study is that subjects were not assigned randomly to groups. They were assigned to groups by alternate-week arrangement. This arrangement could minimize the threat of diffusion of treatment, which means subject interaction would happen if random assignment to groups was done in the same day; however, this arrangement could not guarantee that each subject had an equal chance of being assigned to one of the groups. The nonrandomization of the groups limits the generalizability of the results.

One other important limitation of the study is that participants were required by the postoperative questionnaire to recall how anxious they felt during the surgical procedure. Participants might not have been able to accurately report how anxious they felt during the surgery due to memory lapses and possible influence from medications. Another important factor that might affect the results is that although the term anxiety did not appear on the C-STAI scale, other descriptors related to anxiety might have allowed participants to guess the hypothesis of the research study and alter their behavior accordingly. The presence of the researcher throughout the procedure also might have influenced the subjects to have a more positive response.

CONCLUSION

This study supports the hypothesis that slow or moderate rhythm music can reduce patients' anxiety during minor surgery with local anesthesia. Music seems to be beneficial in helping participants relax. Perioperative nurses can help patients choose music that will be soothing during a surgical procedure. Additional research is warranted to examine the separate effect of headphones on patients' anxiety levels during their surgical procedure with local anesthesia. This can help establish a more accurate result to determine whether the change in anxiety level is due solely to the music or whether it is because the headphones block out ambient OR noise.