A smartphone-based music intervention to reduce pain and anxiety in women before or during labor

Abstract Introduction Music Care is a smartphone-based music intervention for pain and anxiety management that has previously been evaluated in large variety of patients with primary chronic painful conditions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of the app to reduce pain and anxiety in women attending an obstetrics before or during labor. Methods This observational study describes the first evaluation of the app in 62 women before or during labor in a department of obstetrics. Results Participants reported a significant reduction of pain intensity and anxiety after the use of the intervention, with small to moderate effect-size for pain reduction (ES 0.32) and large effect size for anxiety reduction (ES 0.76). Responder rates (> = 33% pre-post reduction of pain/anxiety) for ratings of pain intensity were at 31.6% (n = 19) and 50% for anxiety (n = 31). In general, participants rated high satisfaction with the intervention. Conclusion Overall, these data support the use of the Music Care app as adjuvant tool – in particular for the reduction of pain and anxiety in women in labor. More large-scaled and well-controlled studies are needed to further evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention.