title: Meditative music listening to reduce state anxiety in patients during the uptake phase before positron emission tomography (PET) scans.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examines the effects of listening to meditative music on state anxiety and heart rate variability (HRV) of patients during the uptake phase before positron emission tomography (PET) scans.
  
  
  METHODS
  A two-group randomized experimental design was used. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. All patients received baseline assessments of state anxiety using Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) and HRV before receiving an intravenous injection of radiopharmaceutical fluorine-18 fludeoxyglucose in the uptake room. The experimental group (n = 35) listened individually to 30 min of meditative music, integrating Chinese "Chi" and western frequency resonation in the uptake room. The control group (n = 37) lay on bed quietly for 40 min in the uptake room without music. All patients were assessed for their anxiety level and HRV again, before receiving PET scanning as post-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results indicated that patients in the experimental group showed a significant reduction in state anxiety and heart rate, and increase on high frequency norm of HRV (p < 0.001). There was a statistically significant reduction on anxiety level (p < 0.001), heart rate (p < 0.001) and high frequency norm (p = 0.001) in the experimental group compared with those of the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Listening to meditative music as a non-invasive and cost-effective strategy can help maximize efforts to promote comfort and relaxation for patients awaiting stressful procedures, such as PET scans. Meditative music can be effective in alleviating state anxiety of patients during the uptake phase before PET scans. Advances in knowledge: The study provides scientific evidence of the effects of listening to meditative music for reducing state anxiety in patients during the uptake phase before PET scans. It may have the potential to lower the risk of unwanted false-positive fluorine-18 fludeoxyglucose uptake in normal organs and to further improve image quality and image interpretation. Listening to meditative music is a safe and inexpensive intervention which can be incorporated into routine procedures to reduce anxiety of patients undergoing PET scans.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Technology, Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology, Hualien, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Li
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: 2 Graduate Institute of Long-term Care, Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology, and Taiwanese Centre of Evidence-based Health Care, Hualien, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Huei-Chuan
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shu-Hsin
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Nursing, Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology, and Taiwanese Centre of Evidence-based Health Care, Hualien, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shu-Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009147:Music Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography / Q000523:psychology*; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18