The Impact of Music on the PACU Patient's Perception of Discomfort

Journal

Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing

Year

2010

Abstract

Pain is a normal finding in the postoperative patient, and noise can accentuate one's perception of discomfort. In this study, physiological measurements, intravenous (IV) opioid administration, length of stay, and satisfaction for postoperative patients who listened to music were compared with patients not provided music during their PACU stay. Of the 213 subjects enrolled, 163 experienced postoperative pain. The mean change in experimental subjects' respiratory rate was significantly lower than the controls. Decreases in heart rate and blood pressure from admission to discharge were similar between the two groups. On average, peripheral oxygen saturation and opioid pain control were not significantly different between control and experimental subjects. Subjects provided with music reported acceptable noise levels and increased satisfaction with their PACU experience. Music intervention is therefore a viable, minimal cost, and alternative therapy that PACU nurses can use to assist patients coping with postoperative pain.

Music and Health Institute Terms

Analgesic Intake; Physiological Measures; Discomfort; Physiological Measures; Hospital Setting; Hospital Setting; Length of Hospital Stay; Medication Use; Music Listening; Music Medicine; Opiod Intake; Physiological Measures; Pain; Pain Management and Control; Pain Score or Rating; Patient Satisfaction; Postanesthesia Care Unit (PACU); Postoperative Pain; Hospital Setting; Recorded Music Listening; Physiological Measures; Self-Report Measures; Surgery; Hospital Setting; Vital signs

Indexed Terms

Opioid Analgesics; Blood Pressure; Heart Rate; Postoperative Pain; Postanesthesia Nursing

Study Type

Quasi-Experimental Study; Quantitative Methods

PubMed ID

20359642

Document Type

Article

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