Music therapy reduces opioid use, anxiety in surgical patients

Editor's Note

Music-based interventions administered preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively can significantly reduce postoperative opioid use and improve mood in patients undergoing same-day surgeries, according to research published October 15 in the Journal of Clinical Medicine.

The single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial evaluated 75 patients aged 18 to 80 who received either standard care alone or standard care plus music therapy. Developed by a certified music therapist, the intervention allowed patients to choose from playlists of various genres, including classical, jazz, and lo-fi.

Patients who received music therapy consumed 56.7% fewer opioids compared to those in the control group. The greatest reduction in opioid use was observed on postoperative day one, with the effect decreasing over the following days. Although music therapy lowered opioid requirements, pain scores between the two groups showed no significant difference.

The intervention also temporarily improved mood-related outcomes: anxiety was reduced on postoperative day two, depression on days two and four, and pain catastrophizing on day one. These effects, though temporary, point to music-based intervention as a potential nonpharmacologic support for patients experiencing preoperative anxiety, which is associated with higher postoperative pain and increased opioid consumption.

Secondary outcomes, such as hospital stay duration, patient satisfaction, and postoperative nausea, showed no notable differences between groups.  

The study's limitations include its small sample size and single-center design, limiting generalizability. Additionally, the patient-selected music genres may not reflect individual preferences fully, which could affect therapeutic efficacy, researchers write. They call for further exploration of music-based intervention across varied surgical procedures and patient demographics to clarify its potential as a scalable, cost-effective addition to multimodal pain management strategies.