Anxiety is a common psychological response prior to surgery, causing potential increases in oxygen consumption, cardiac output, and blood pressure, as well as an increased need for anesthetics. Nurses can promote the relaxation and comfort of surgical patients by offering music therapy to reduce anxiety. Florence Nightengale’s Environmental Theory of Nursing promotes manipulation of the environment to assist patients in regaining a state of health. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the effects of music therapy on pre- and post-operative anxiety. Data was collected from 40 adult patients undergoing minor outpatient surgeries through the use of a questionnaire, which measured anxiety levels on an analog scale and asked open-ended questions about the effects of music on anxiety level. An experimental group of 20 and a control group of 20 participated in this convenience sample at a hospital in western Michigan. The experimental group received music therapy consisting of headphones with gentle instrumental music and nature sounds during surgery, while the control group received conventional care. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS statistical software. The anxiety scores were analyzed utilizing means and t-tests to determine trends and differences between groups. The majority of patients expressed positive responses concerning the effects of music on anxiety, even among those who did not receive music therapy. Themes that emerged during qualitative analysis were also supportive of music therapy, identifying it as “helpful”, “relaxing”, and “nice”. Limitations of this study included small sample size, lack of randomization, lack of ethnic diversity, and design flaws in the data collection tool. Implications of this study are that it will contribute to nurses and other health care providers’ knowledge on the effects of music therapy in the surgical setting and may lead to a higher degree of patient satisfaction with the surgical experience.
Session #1222 - Undergraduate Submissions
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)