The Sound of Medicine : Evidence-based music interventions in healthcare practice

Lately, increasing attention has been paid to the use of music interventions in healthcare. A music intervention is the use of music in order to affect a specific condition. The Thesis ‘The Sound of Medicine: Evidence-based Music Interventions in Healthcare Practice’ has focused on the use of music interventions to affect anxiety and pain before, during and after surgery in adults, as well as in children having surgery. Also, the effect of music interventions on brain function, behavior, immunologic and physiologic aspects in fundamental research have been summarized in a systematic review. In addition, a preoperative anxiety scale has been tested for applicability in our youngest patient population, and the role of intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting preoperative parental anxiety were tested. Results from this thesis show that music interventions affect a biologic process, cascade in the body. A statistically significant and clinical rele

What are the validity and reliability of the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale-Short Form in children less than 2 years old?

Background: Accurate measurement of preoperative anxiety is important for pediatric surgical patients’ care as well as for monitoring anxiety-reducing interventions. The modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale-short form is well validated for this purpose in children aged 2 years and above, but not in younger children. Aims: We aimed to validate the Dutch version of the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale-short form for measuring preoperative anxiety in children less than 2 years old. Methods: Two investigators independently assessed infants’ anxiety at the holding area and during induction of anesthesia with the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale-short form and the COMFORT-Behavior scale—live and from video observations. Construct validity and responsiveness of both scales were tested with Pearson correlation coefficient. Internal con

Systematic review and meta-analysis of music interventions in hypertension treatment: A quest for answers

Background: Adverse effects, treatment resistance and high costs associated with pharmacological treatment of hypertension have led to growing interest in non-pharmacological complementary therapies such as music interventions. This meta-analysis aims to provide an overview of reported evidence on the effica

Music affects rodents: A systematic review of experimental research

Background: There is rapidly emerging interest in music interventions in healthcare. Music interventions are widely applicable, inexpensive, without side effects, and easy to use. It is not precisely known how they exert positive effects on health outcomes. Experimental studies in animal models might reveal more about the pathophysiological mechanisms of music interventions. Methods: We performed a systematic review of experimental research in rodents. The electronic databases EMBASE, Medline(ovidSP), Web-Of-Science, PsycINFO, Cinahl, PubMed publisher, Cochrane, and Google scholar were searched for publications between January 1st 1960 and April 22nd 2017. Eligible were English–written, full-text publications on experimental research in rodents comparing music vs. a control situation. Outcomes were categorized in four domains: brain structure and neuro-chemistry; behavior; immunology; and physiology. Additionally, an overview was generated representing the effects of various types of music on outcomes. Bias in studies was assessed with the SYRCLE Risk of Bias tool. A meta-analysis was not feasible due to heterogeneous outcomes and lack of original outcome data. Results: Forty-two studies were included. Music-exposed rodents showed statistically significant increases in neuro-chemistry, such as higher BDNF levels, as well as an enhanced propensity for neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. Furthermore, music exposure was linked with statistically significantly improved spatial and auditory learning, reduced anxiety-related behavior, and increased immune responses. Various statistically significant changes occurred in physiological parameters such as blood pressure and (para)sympathetic nerve activity following music interventions. The majority of studies investigated classical music interventions, but other types of music exerted positive effects on outcomes as well. The SYRCLE risk of bias assessment revealed unclear risk of bias in all studies. Conclusions: Music

Meta-analysis evaluating music interventions for anxiety and pain in surgery

Background: This study aimed to evaluate anxiety and pain following perioperative music interventions compared with control conditions in adult patients. Methods: Eleven electronic databases were searched for full-text publications of RCTs investigating the effect of music interventions on anxiety and pain during invasive surgery published between 1 January 1980 and 20 October 2016. Results and data were double-screened and extracted independently. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate effect sizes as standardized mean differences (MDs). Heterogeneity was investigated in subgroup analyses and metaregression analyses. The review was registered in the PROSPERO database as CRD42016024921. Results: Ninety-two RCTs (7385 patients) were included in the systematic review, of which 81 were included in the meta-analysis. Music interventions significantly decreased anxiety (MD -0·69, 95 per cent c.i. -0·88 to -0·50; P<0·001) and pain (MD -0·50, -0·66 to -0·34; P<0·001) compared with controls, equivalent to a decrease of 21mm for anxiety and 10mm for pain on a 100-mm visual analogue scale. Changes in outcome corrected for baseline were even larger: MD -1·41 (-1·89 to -0·94; P<0·001) for anxiety and -0·54 (-0·93 to -0·15; P=0·006) for pain. Music interventions provided during general anaesthesia significantly decreased pain compared with tha

Interventions with Music in PECTus excavatum treatment (IMPECT trial)

INTRODUCTION: Pectus excavatum repair is associated with substantial postoperative pain, despite the use of epidural analgesia and other analgesic regimens. Perioperative recorded music interventions have been shown to alleviate pain and anxiety in adults, but evidence for children and adolescents is still lacking. This study protocol describes a randomised controlled trial that evaluates the effects of recorded music interventions on postoperative pain relief in children and adolescents after pectus excavatum repair. METHODS: A multicentre randomised controlled trial was se