Music to reduce stress in hospitalized patients.

PURPOSE To determine the impact of music on the physiologic and psychological stress experienced by hospital inpatients. METHODS This pilot study monitored vital signs; utilized pain, anxiety, and agitation rating scales; and gathered verbal feedback from 50 participating inpatients at the authors' healthcare facility as they listened to music via an audiovisual interactive patient engagement technology system. RESULTS After listening to music for 30 minutes, patients reported significantly lower pain and anxiety. CONCLUSION Music offered a helpful tool to reduce pain and anxiety for patients in the ICU and telemetry units at the authors' healthcare facility. Future research may be geared toward incremental expansion and monitoring of this music intervention in other units.