Music Therapy and Children With Cancer Undergoing Lumbar Puncture

Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, May/June 2010, vol. 27, no. 3: 146-155

http://jpo.sagepub.com/content/27/3/146.short

Music Therapy to Reduce Pain and Anxiety in Children With Cancer Undergoing Lumbar Puncture: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Authors: Nguyen TN, Nilsson S, Hellstrom A-L, Bengtson A

Affiliations: National Hospital of Paediatrics, Hanoi, Vietnam; Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden; Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden; Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

Abstract:
A nonpharmacological method can be an alternative or complement to analgesics.The aim of this study was to evaluate if music medicine influences pain and anxiety in children undergoing lumbar punctures. A randomized clinical trial was used in 40 children (aged 7-12 years) with leukemia, followed by interviews in 20 of these participants. The participants were randomly assigned to a music group (n = 20) or control group (n = 20). The primary outcome was pain scores and the secondary was heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation measured before, during, and after the procedure. Anxiety scores were measured before and after the procedure. Interviews with open-ended questions were conducted in conjunction with the completed procedures. The results showed lower pain scores and heart and respiratory rates in the music group during and after the lumbar puncture. The anxiety scores were lower in the music group both before and after the procedure. The findings from the interviews confirmed the quantity results through descriptions of a positive experience by the children, including less pain and fear.

Keywords: Music Therapy, Anxiety, Non-pharmacological Therapy, Pain