A new randomised controlled trial has found that listening to music during computed tomography (CT)-guided interventions “significantly decreases” patient-reported anxiety levels. The research team state that, beyond interventional radiology (IR), their findings highlight the important connection between anxiety levels and pain felt by the patient during a procedure, and how music can be used to “potentially reduce complications, length of hospital stay, and the overuse of pain medication”.
The trial was led by Florian Nima Fleckenstein (Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany), who will present the team’s findings at the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe (CIRSE) annual congress (13–17 September, Barcelona, Spain).
Speakin to Interventional News, Fleckenstein explains that biopsy procedures for unknown tumour masses—typically performed without general anaesthesia—were common procedures included in the trial. “Patients who undergo biopsies are made aware that ‘something is wrong with your body, and we need to check it’, so they’re usually very afraid when they come in. We hypothesised that music could alleviate some of their anxiety by creating a familiar and comfortable atmosphere,” says Fleckenstein. Patients were asked to complete the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) pain assessment and the six-item short form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6) post-procedure.
“We saw a highly significant difference in reduction of anxiety levels between the two groups,” says Fleckenstein. He details that, typically, anxiety levels rapidly fall following a procedure for all patients; however, the researchers witnessed a “higher drop” in the group that had listened to music during their intervention.
“This study is important beyond the framework of IR; the bigger picture is that anxiety increases pain, and there are good publications showing quantitative markers, such as hormones and heart rate for example, which correlate anxiety with pain. This is then connected to higher complication rates, longer hospital stays and—in the USA—the overuse of pain medication such as fentanyl,” says Fleckstein.
Not only does music offer potential analgesic properties, but, Fleckenstein notes, it can also act as an “icebreaker” to make patients feel more at ease. “We had some very interesting encounters with patients around their choice of music. For example, some would recall seeing the artist in 1980-something with their wife and how it was a nice experience—and this is all while the procedure is taking place, so it’s a great way to divert the patient’s attention and reduce anxiety,” he notes. “Because of this study, I’ve had a lot of music from the 60s and 70s slip onto my Spotify playlist.”
The research team hopes their findings will encourage broader adoption of music as a low-cost, non-pharmacological adjunct during image-guided procedures. “There is no downside,” says Fleckenstein. “If something as simple as music can improve patient experience, reduce anxiety, and possibly enhance outcomes, then it should become part of our routine practice in IR.”
