Effect of music intervention on burn patients’ pain and anxiety during dressing changes

For burn patients, the daily dressing process causes pain and anxiety. Although drugs can relieve them, the degree of pain during dressing changes is often moderate to severe. Therefore, relevant supporting interventions, like music as an ideal intervention, could alleviate the patient's pain. This study investigated the impact of music intervention at dressing change time on burn patients’ pain and anxiety. This was a prospective, randomized clinical trial; patients were randomly assigned into control (standard intervention) and experimental groups (crystal music intervention) for five consecutive days (35 patients in each group). Patients’ pain and anxiety measurements were collected before, during, and after dressing changes and morphine usage was recorded. The study period was October 2014 to September 2015. There was no difference in morphine dosage for both groups. By the fourth day of music intervention, burn patients’ pain before, during, and after dressing changes had significantly decreased; anxiety on the fourth day during and after dressing changes had also significantly decreased. Nurses may use ordered prescription analgesics, but if non-pharmacological interventions are increased, such as providing timely music intervention and creating a friendly, comfortable hospital environment, patients’ pain and anxiety will reduce.