The Effect of Music on Anxiety, Pain Levels, and Physiological Parameters in Women Undergoing Brachytherapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of music on anxiety, pain, and physiologic parameters in women undergoing brachytherapy. Data Sources: The study was conducted with a randomized controlled design between June and December 2022. Music intervention was practiced to the patients in the experimental group (n = 30), while no practice was given to the control group (n = 25). In the study, the data were collected using the Descriptive Information Form, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, visual analog scale, and vital signs (temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, SpO(2)) recording form. Intergroup and intragroup averages were evaluated by the mixed -design analysis of variance. Variables with pre -post intervention designs were evaluated with the one-way analysis of covariance. There was no significant difference in physiological parameters between the groups (P > . 05). Although the mean anxiety scores decreased in the music group and increased in the control group, there was no statistically significant difference (P > .05). A significant difference was found in the pain levels of the patients in repeated measurements made in intragroup evaluations (P < .001). The depression mean of the music intervention group was significantly lower than the control group (P <= .05). Conclusion: It was concluded that the music played during the brachytherapy process had positive effects on feeling less pain and management of depressive symptoms but did not affect anxiety and physiological parameters. Since each patient is different, the effects of music therapy can vary individually. Implications for Nursing Practice: Nurses should apply different strategies to investigate session frequencies and durations for different patient groups and treatment stages in cancer care. (c) 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.