The Effect of Listening to Music on Postoperative Pain in Adult Orthopedic Patients.

PURPOSE: Pain is a common occurrence after orthopedic surgery. Patients need additional resources to manage their pain. The purpose of this study was to determine if listening to music has a positive effect on pain scores and satisfaction in the postoperative adult orthopedic patient. There are limited studies demonstrating statistically significant decreases in postoperative pain in this group. A secondary purpose was to expose nurses on a standard medical-surgical unit to an intervention, supported by the holistic nursing model that they could use in their care.

DESIGN AND METHOD: This study was a descriptive, comparative, quasi-experimental design. Patients listened to prerecorded music on individual CD players and recorded pre-post pain scores with the intervention. A satisfactory survey was completed at discharge.

FINDINGS: Results demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in patients' pain scores after listening to music. Length of listening time had no effect. Patients expressed overall satisfaction, and 100% of participants would recommend this intervention to others.

CONCLUSIONS: Listening to music is beneficial as an adjunct to pain medication and contributes to increased patient satisfaction. It is hoped that the information gained from this study will lead to an enhancement in the standard of care for postoperative patients.