Surgery can be an anxiety and painful experience. One way to manage pain and anxiety is music listening. A new research study demonstrated some positive effects of music on pre- and post-surgery anxiety and pain.
Lin et al (2011) utilized a quasi-experimental design including 30 patients who underwent music stimulation pre and post-surgery and 30 who had no intervention. All patients were scheduled for spinal surgery at a hospital in Tiawan. Measures included the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the visual analogue scales (VAS), and physiological measures (cortisol levels, blood pressure, etc..).
Patients listened to 30 minutes of preferred music the evening before the surgery, one hour before surgery and in the afternoon for two days following the surgery. Patients in the treatment group were encouraged to listen to music at any other time that they wanted.
Results indicated that participants in the treatment group had significantly lower pain and anxiety, as demonstrated in the VAS. Blood pressure was also significantly lower in the treatment group one hour after surgery. No other physiological measures were statistically significant.
This study appears to come from the nursing department of a hospital in Taiwan. They use preferred music, although the rationale for the timing and duration of music listening isn’t explained. This study has a good number of participants and employs a quasi-experiemental design (non-randomization). It is interesting that one self-report measure was statistically significant; however, most of the physiological measures were not significant. This leads to questions about self-report vs. physiological measures – why are the patients reporting less anxiety and pain, yet their physiological measures not showing significantly decreased stress markers?
Clinical implications: This study is a larger one looking at pain and anxiety using preferred music listening. This could be used as support for hospital MTs who use music listening in their practice.
Reference:
Lin, P.C., Lin, M.L., Huang, L.C., Hsu, H.C., & Lin, C.C. (2011). Music therapy for patients receiving spine surgery. J Clin Nurs. Feb 15. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2010.03452.x. PMID: 21320217
Hi Blythe,
Just wanted to put in my two cents with regards to this article. Note the title: “Music therapy for patients receiving spine surgery.” I can almost guarantee without a shadow of a doubt that there was not a single board-certified music therapist present in the carrying out of this study, and there is a plethora of other studies like this one out there that specifically (usually in the title) identify music listening (i.e., creating a CD of patients’ favorite songs, which anyone with an iTunes account and a computer with a CD drive can do) as “music therapy.” This irks me, for obvious reasons. I do, however, see the value in the study for the clinical implications for actual music therapists, and I think it is up to us MT-BC’s to continue to educate and take big steps to further the research – perhaps to point out the difference of patients involved in actual music therapy versus music listening as it is posed in this article.
Of course, as you’ve probably guessed, I’m not the one who’s going to do that. But I thought I’d add my two cents and maybe get the ball rolling with other MTs who might share my view.
Kudos to you to taking a lead in the social media realm of MT research awareness!
Dear Charla,
I hope this message finds you in the best of health and spirits.
Well, let me begin by saying that word of your work has reached me all the way here in Sweden!!!
I hesitate to enter into the fray now of what constitutes music therapy versus music listening; I will leave that for you and Blythe as you both, undoubtedly, are the “experts” BUT Charla I would appreciate it very much if you could send me an email.
My work and research and life focus has much in common with yours.
I am looking forward to your reply.
ALL BEST,
michael