Research reveals music helps decrease pain and anxiety for surgery patients
Going through surgery can be a difficult time for some people. While some are courageous enough to face the challenge, a lot of patients are afraid and worry about it, especially the pain that will come with it post-operation. There are several ways to manage such issues and one of them is music therapy.
According to a published study in "The Lancet," patients who listened to music before, during or after a surgical procedure experienced decreased pain and anxiety than patients who did not listen to music.
As written in the Brunel University London website, Dr. Catherine Meads and her team conducted the study that proved music therapy to be helpful in reducing patient's pain, anxiety and the need for painkillers. They were able to prove it through analyzing 73 randomized controlled trials in their research and involving nearly 7,000 patients undergoing surgery.
They particularly looked into the impact of music on postoperative recovery, as opposed to standard care or other non-medical interventions like massage. They compared a wide variety of majority "soothing" music with undisturbed bed rest, headphones with no music, white noise and routine care. Some patients also benefitted from listening to music while they were under general anesthesia. However, music did not decrease the length of hospital stay even though it had an effect on stress and pain.
It has also been discovered in the study that listening to music at any time is deemed effective. But there are some reports though that revealed an information about the effect being the strongest when patients listen to music before undergoing surgery. And when they listen to their preferred music playlist, it revealed a slightly greater decrease in pain and in use of pain relief, reports Reuters.
As stated by Dr. Meads, "Music is non-invasive, safe, cheap intervention that should be available to everyone undergoing surgery." She also stated that music should be fused into therapeutic interventions for hospital patients but it should not interfere with a medical team's communication.
