Effectiveness of a music therapy intervention on relaxation and anxiety for patients receiving ventilatory assistance.
OBJECTIVE
To test the effects of music therapy on relaxation and anxiety reduction for patients receiving ventilatory assistance.


METHODS
Two-group, pretest-posttest experimental design with repeated measures. Subjects randomized to either a 30-minute music condition or a rest period.


METHODS
Four urban midwestern intensive care units.


METHODS
Fifty-four alert, nonsedated patients receiving mechanical ventilation.


METHODS
State anxiety (pretest and posttest), heart rate, and respiratory rate obtained every 5 minutes for 30 minutes.


RESULTS
Subjects who received music therapy reported significantly less anxiety posttest (10.1) than those subjects in the control group (16.2). Heart rate and respiratory rate decreased over time for those subjects in the music group as compared with the control group subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
A single music therapy session was found to be effective for decreasing anxiety and promoting relaxation, as indicated by decreases in heart rate and respiratory rate over the intervention period with this sample of patients receiving ventilatory assistance.
Chlan
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University of Iowa, College of Nursing, Iowa City 52242, USA.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D001143:Arousal; D003422:Critical Care / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009147:Music Therapy; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012064:Relaxation Therapy; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000523:psychology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome