A study to assess the effectiveness of music therapy in controlling postoperative pain and anxiety among surgical patients (major abdominal surgery) in RMMCH, Annamalai University

ABSTRACT

Pain is a universal human experience, yet no two individuals experience and respond to pain exactly the same way and also pain is the predominant complaint patients have after surgery. Anxiety is an emotional state characterized by feelings of apprehension, discomfort, restlessness, or worry. Music therapy is one of the non-pharmacological interventions to reduce postoperative pain and anxiety. To assess the effectiveness of music therapy in controllingAIM: postoperative pain and anxiety among surgical patients. Quasi-experimental designMATERIAL AND METHODS: Time series with multiple institutions of treatment) was adopted. A total of 40 patients 20 in experimental and 20 in control group chosen by convenient sampling technique. The instrument consisted of two sections First section comprises of demographic and clinical variables of the patient. Second section was Speilberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale Form Y-1 and Numerical Pain Rating Scale. Reiki instrumental music was selected for intervention. Music therapy was provided through head phone on second and third postoperative day to the experimental group in two sessions in each day totaling four sessions lasting for 30 minutes each. Assessment was done periodically for two sessions at a interval of 2 hours per day after music therapy. The postoperative pain intensity score of the experimentalRESULTS: group was significantly reduced from severe to mild level, where as in the control group pain intensity score was reduced from moderate to mild level. (p< 0.001).The postoperative anxiety level reduction for experimental group was from moderate to mild level, where as in the control group anxiety level remained constantly at moderate level. (p< 0.001). There was no significant association between preoperative anxiety with previous experience of surgery. CONCLUSION: Music therapy is a simple, safe and effective method for reducing postoperative pain and anxiety.