The effect of music on delirium, pain, sedation and anxiety in patients receiving mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit

Objectives: To examine the effects of music for patients under mechanical ventilation support in the intensive care unit on their delirium, pain, sedation, and anxiety. Research methodology/design: A single-blind, randomized, controlled trial. Setting: The study was conducted with delirium positive patients between August 2020 and September 2021 in the medical/surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital in Turkey. Methods: The study sample was selected through a simple and stratified randomization method; patients who met the inclusion criteria were assigned to the music, noise reduction or control group. The data were collected by using a Confusion Assessment Method for the ICU (CAM-ICU), CAM-ICU-7, Critical Care Pain Observation Tool (CPOT), Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS), Facial Anxiety Scale (FAS), PRE-DELIRIC model, and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). The interventions were repeated twice a day for five days. Results: A total of 36 patients were included, with 12 patients in each group. Significant decreases were found in the severity of delirium and pain and the level of sedation and anxiety in the music compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). The number of patients with delirium and the number of days with mechanical ventilation was found to be significantly lower in the music group compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Music intervention may be used as a nursing intervention to control delirium, pain, need for sedation and anxiety in intensive care unit patients. However, additional studies with larger sample is needed to validate findings.