INTRODUCTION
Pain and anxiety are a common hospital occurrence among patients. Surgeries are no exception when it comes to experiencing acute pain and anxiety in post-operation conditions. However, the absence of appropriate management techniques after such procedures exposes patients to numerous complications, including but not limited to mortality. The main of this research paper is to determine the impacts of listening to soothing and personalized music on pain and anxiety management after surgery. It proves that music has a significant value in pain and anxiety management for patients in post-surgery units.
PURPOSE AND STUDY SIGNIFICANCE IN MUSIC LITERATURE
Music has long been perceived as an art for entertainment and pleasure. In between such functions is its historical and contemporary use for therapeutic purposes. Musical therapy is the professional utilization of music as an intervention in educational, daily, and medical environments. For instance, in their works on music as an alternative medicine, Babikian et al. discussed the works of Mkhitar Heratsi, otherwise dubbed the founder of Armenian alternative medicine. As early as 1184, Heratsi had published a series of literature that detailed the importance of music in treating fever-causing illnesses. He let his patients listen to stringed songs and pleasant melodies as part of the environment that facilitated their healing process (252). From the above information, one can identify music as part of the oldest medical tools. In its art form, music focuses on the physical, mental, spiritual, and cultural realms of the overall human wellbeing. It is for such reasons that this article offers a modern account of music in medicine. The paper builds on the musical literature that explores the role of music in pain management for post-surgery patients.
BACKGROUND
Ajorpaz, Mohammadi, and Najaran describe pain as an undesirable emotional and sensory experience associated with physical tissue damage. The authors estimate that over 80 percent of patients in post-surgery care experience average to severe pain and anxiety. Notably, pain is one major source of concern for patients receiving heart-related treatment. However, inappropriate pain management is commonplace in post-surgery care and has serious effects on patients’ health outcomes. Indeed, uncontrolled pain could result in psychological and clinical changes that reduce the quality of care while enhancing mortality, the cost of care, and morbidity (Ajorpaz, Mohammadi, and Najaran 1-2).
RELEVANT LITERATURE REVIEW
The following review presents peer-reviewed arguments for and against music as a therapeutic measure in pain and anxiety management. First, Allred, Byers, and Sole studied the differential effects of listening to music and following routine practices on pain and anxiety management before and after surgery. They used data from 56 random patients to determine their analysis. Some of their study measures would include collecting data on pre-and post-surgery oxygen saturation, respiratory rates, heart rates, and arterial pressure levels. They equally assigned these patients to either routine or music intervention sessions. The statistical findings showed that the group under music intervention showed a decline in pain and anxiety. These results offer enough evidence to support the efficacy of using music in post-surgery units (Allred, Byers and Sole 15-23).
Second, Mattos, Hatem, and Lira investigated the effect of ambient music on children in upon heart surgery in a Brazilian children’s hospital. Their study followed a similar methodology assessing the pain levels of 79 patients during the initial 24 hours after surgery. The authors subjected a half of these individuals to a 30-minute classical music therapeutic session. The other half underwent standard clinical practices. Both instances, however, involved recording data on heart rate, respiratory rates, oxygen saturation, temperature, and facial pain scores. The study showed that ambient music is also beneficial for children in post-surgery care pain management (Mattos, Hatem and Lira 186-190).
The last crucial application of music in pain management is helping patients cope with cardiovascular disease (CVD). According to Harvard Medical School (HMS), this application cuts across all CVD conditions including recovery from heart attacks, heart failure, and angina. The seminar report treats CVD as a stressful condition that denies people the opportunity to take charge of their lives. It uses an Ohio case study to show that music as part of a standardized cardiac rehabilitation process leads to superior control of blood pressure and mental health. There are also additional improvements in sleep, stress reduction, and anxiety. Eventually, this report follows that music therapy can successfully alleviate anxiety and provide an appropriate coping alternative for CVD patients (HMS).
However, not all studies reveal a positive relationship between music and patient pain management. The HMS seminar report finds that music has little or no effects on key psychological measures such as recovery, heart rate, and blood pressure. The paper further suggests that one of the biggest gaps in such studies is the absence of explorations on various musical genres in medical practice. That is, patients have different reactions to various kinds of music based on the genre and acceptability index. Such sessions peg on the short term as opposed to long run results. For instance, soothing ambient music such as Winston’s Moon and Debussy’s Clair de Lune would have different effects on pain and anxiety than their rousing counterparts. Also, listening to music from the likes of rock’s Red Hot Chili Peppers would only work in personalized settings as opposed to generalized surroundings. Such findings reveal a gap that requires adequate analysis to explore the therapeutic advantages of music in health care (HMS).
Ajorpaz, Mohammadi, and Najaran might have been trying to fill the above research gap by using earpieces in their intervention. This study analyzed the extent to which music served as a cost effective therapeutic intervention in reducing pain. The authors recognized the idea that studies differed in highlighting this relationship. However, they focused their study on post-surgery patients at Shahid Beheshti hospital in Iran. Ajorpaz and colleagues split their participants into two groups and allowed the experimental group to listen to music through headphones. They found that music can reduce postoperative pain. However, they recommended soothing music for general purposes (Ajorpaz, Mohammadi, and Najaran 1-6).
DISCUSSION
The above reviews presents music as a combination of harmonic, rhythmic, and melodic sounds. It shows that hospitals in the US and around the world are increasingly utilizing it for its perceived therapeutic value. Novotney asserts that musical therapy is an interventional process in which caregivers use to improve their patient’s health outcomes. This article offers an expanded approach to health improvement capabilities of music to a wide array of patient populations. Some of the additional situations include people with Parkinson’s disease, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, and premature infants. Such studies prove that hospitals that utilize musical experiences realize its benefits as a dynamic force of change in pain management (Novotney).
Furthermore, the Harvard Medical School notes that the Mayo Clinic Healing Enhancement Program relies on music as part of the post-surgery treatment package. They, however, accompany this intervention with relaxation therapies and massages. Their main aim is to encourage their patients to listen to music after, during, and before surgery. The clinicians are strong advocates of evidence-based studies that favor music as effective in blocking disturbing sounds that easing pain and anxiety (HMS).
CONCLUSION
The above discussion indicates the existence of a significant effect of music on pain and anxiety reduction. It also shows that hospitals can use music as a non-invasive technique to help relieve pain among a wide variety of patients. However, its effectiveness depends on the context and type of music played to various patients. Such limitations reveal that facilities should consider numerous factors, among them cultural and personal tastes before selecting a postoperative playlist. Therefore, it would be appropriate to play personalized music in private wards and prescribe or ambient music in general wards.
Works Cited
Ajorpaz, Neda, et al. "Effect of Music on Postoperative Pain in Patients Under Open Heart Surgery." Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Studies, Vol 3 Iss 3 (2014): 1-6. PDF Document.
Allred, Kelly, Jacqueline Byers and Mary Sole. "The Effect of Music on Postoperative Pain and Anxiety." Pain Management Nursing, Vol 11, Iss 1 (2010): 15-25. PDF Document .
Babikian, Talin, et al. "Music as Medicine: A review and historical perspective ." Alternative and Complementary Therapies, Vol 19. Iss 5 (2013): 251-254. PDF.
HMS. "Music as Medicine: The Impact of healing harmonies ." 14 April 2015. Harvard Medical School. Web. 6 April 2016. <https://hms.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/assets/Sites/Longwood_Seminars/Longwood%20Seminar%20Music%20Reading%20Pack.pdf>.
Mattos, Sandra, Thamine Hatem and Pedro Lira. "The therapeutic effects of music in children following cardiac surgery." Jornal de Pediatria, Vol 82, Iss 3 (2006): 186-192. PDF Document .
Novotney, Amy. "Music as Medicine." November 2013. The American Psychological Association. Web. 6 April 2016. <http://www.apa.org/monitor/2013/11/music.aspx>.
