Music listening alleviates anxiety and physiological responses in patients receiving spinal anesthesia

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the effects of listening to music on the anxiety levels and physiological responses of surgical patients receiving spinal anesthesia. Methods: An experimental design was used in the study with an experimental group (n = 50) and a control group (n = 50). The experimental group received 30 min of musical intervention and routine nursing care in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) while the control group received only routine nursing care. Results: The study found significant differences in both anxiety and physiological indices between the two groups. The mean score of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) in the study group decreased from a pre-test score of 59.0 to a post-test score of 31.20 (t = 28.63, p < 0.001). Physiological indices such as heart rate (t = 2.61, p = 0.012), respiration rate (t = 2.29, p = 0.026), systolic blood pressure (t = 2.30, p = 0.026), and diastolic blood pressure (t = 3.02, p = 0.004) decreased significantly as well. Control group was not seeing significant changes from pre-op values. Conclusion: Listening to music while in the recovery room may decrease the level of anxiety in surgical patients receiving spinal anesthesia. The results of this study can serve as a reference for PACU nurses in utilizing music listening programs to achieve the goal of holistic care. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).