The effects of playing music during surgery on the performance of the surgical team: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Music is an economical, advantageous and reliable means of reducing stress or stress-related problems. OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to evaluate the effects of playing music during surgery on the performance of the surgical team through a systematic review of published studies. METHODS: The relevant databases of Medline/PubMed, Scopus and Science Direct were searched up to July 2018 to find related articles. The comprehensive literature search was reduced to 19 articles that met inclusion criteria. RESULTS: The articles comprised 13 studies and reported on the positive effects of music on the performance of the surgical team. The effects included a more relaxing and pleasant environment, more accurate and precise performance of tasks, a decrease in the mental workload and task completion time, increased situation awareness, a reduction in stress and anxiety and improved memory consolidation. Five studies reported on the negative effects of music during surgery as being a negative impact on task completion, poor auditory performance and increased likelihood of having to repeat requests. The remaining article reported no significant differences between groups compared. CONCLUSIONS: Most studies reported positive effects of music on the surgical team during surgery. These results indicate that it may be possible to improve the performance of the surgical team during surgery while playing controlled music.