Effect of Music Therapy on Pain Perception, Anxiety, and Opioid Use During Dressing Change Among Patients With Burns in India: A Quasi-experimental, Cross-over Pilot Study

The effectiveness of music therapy for relieving pain and anxiety during burn dressing changes has not been reported from India.This study was conducted to assess the effect of music therapy on pain, anxiety, opioid use, and hemodynamic variables during burn dressing change.Patients in a tertiary care burn unit who were >10 years old, conscious, able to respond, and oriented to time, place, and person participated in a 2-month, quasi-experimental, cross-over pilot study. Each served as his/her own control. Dressings were changed every other day alternating between the control (standard pain management) and experimental (control plus patient-selected music) intervention. Pain was assessed using a numerical rating scale, anxiety was scored using the State Trait Anxiety Test (higher scores indicated more pain and anxiety), and hemodynamic parameters and analgesics were recorded. Wilcoxon Test and chi-squared tests were utilized for statistical analysis.Median pain scores (5, interquartile range [IQR] IQR: 3-7; and 6, IQR: 5-8) and median anxiety scores (12, IQR: 8-17; and 14, IQR: 10-19) were significantly lower during the experimental than during the standard dressing change, respectively (P <.001), and opioids were used significantly less frequently during the experimental change (P = .002).Music therapy helps reduce anxiety, pain, and opioid use during burn dressing change.