The effect of music therapy on postoperative pain, heartrate, systolic blood pressure and analgesic use following anal surgery

METHOD: Fifty-seven patients were assigned to either an experimental or a control group. Music was played intermittently to members of the experimental group during the first 24 hour postoperative period. Pain intensity was measured using the Pain Verbal Rating Scales, RESULTS: Significant decreases in pain intensity over time were found in the experimental group compared to the control group. In addition, the experimental group had a lower systolic blood pressure and heart rate, and took fewer oral analgesics for pain. These findings suggest that music therapy is an effective nonpharmacologic approach for postoperative pain management.