Influence of Music on Pain and Anxiety due to Surgery in Patients with Breast Cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Anxiety in the preoperative period is quite common. Incidence of up to 80% has been reported in the literature, in adult patients. Objective: To evaluate the influence of music on anxiety and pain, in patients with breast cancer who underwent surgery. Method: This is a controlled clinical trial with simple randomization. The patients were divided into groups: experimental (EG) or control (CG). The musical intervention was performed with "The Four Seasons" by Vivaldi. All patients were submitted, in the immediate pre-operative stage, to the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scores (State-TAIS), and checked also the physiological parameters (blood pressure, temperature, blood saturation, respiratory rate and heart rate). The next day, we applied the pain scores in both groups. Data were analyzed by BioEstat statistical software, version 5.0, with a significance level set at 5.0%, and the paired t-test was used. Results: Twenty nine patients were evaluated, 15 of which in EG, and 14 in GC. The physiological parameters (BP, T, BS, RR and HR) and the average of pain scores did not show significant changes. Regarding the level of anxiety, measured by the score of the STAI -State, there was significant reduction in anxiety levels in patients whose group was subject to the music intervention (p<0.0001). Conclusion: The musical intervention, to reduce the level of preoperative anxiety, was a good instrument and of low cost for such a purpose.