Music Therapy in the ED: A Pain and Anxiety Reliever?
🎵 Music Therapy in the ED: A Pain and Anxiety Reliever?
Source: Medscape Medical News – MedBrief, 2025
(I know that some colleagues in Jordan have been practicing this in catheterization labs and operating rooms, and it seems that this approach is gaining attention globally as well.)
Topline:
In patients with non–trauma-related pain, music therapy combined with standard analgesia in the emergency department (ED) significantly reduced both pain and anxiety compared to standard care alone.
Study Design & Methods:
• Randomized controlled trial in Bangkok (2023–2024)
• 63 adults (mean age ~58; 38% men) with pain in the ED
• Two groups:
• Standard care + music therapy (n=31)
• Standard care alone (n=32)
• 60% had non-trauma-related pain
• Pain, anxiety, service quality, and satisfaction were assessed pre- and post-intervention.
Key Findings:
1. Pain Reduction:
• Music group: −1.52 points
• Control group: −0.09 points
• P = .002
2. Anxiety Reduction:
• Music group: −1.87
• Control: −0.44
• P = .026
3. Non-Trauma Group Benefits:
• Significantly greater improvements in pain and anxiety than trauma group
• P < .001 (pain), P = .019 (anxiety)
4. ED Service Quality:
• Higher scores in the music group (P = .001)
• Satisfaction similar across both groups
In Practice:
Music therapy, when used alongside standard pain management, may be a valuable and low-cost intervention to ease symptoms in the ED, particularly for non-trauma patients.
Limitations:
• Single center, small sample
• No blinding
• Cultural specificity of music
• Environmental ED factors (e.g., noise, crowding)
• Pre-ED medications not fully accounted for
Source:
Led by Dr. Chuenruthai Angkoontassaneeyarat, Mahidol University, Thailand
Published April 11, 2025 – International Journal of Emergency Medicine