A-Z List


Surgery

Goals and Methodologies

Problem Areas, Goals, & Activities

Problem Areas of Patients

  • Anxiety (preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative)
  • Unfamiliar, threatening environment
  • Prolonged pain
  • Overuse of anesthetics, slowing down recovery period
  • Worry about the unknown
  • Threatening background noises of the operating room
  • Tension and fatigue of the surgical team
  • Wakening postoperative patients

Music Therapy Goals for Problem Areas:

  • Reduce anxiety
  • Create a pleasant hospital experience
  • Distract from unfamiliar sounds
  • Reduce/distract patient from pain (increase production of endorphins)
  • Lower blood pressure
  • Increase salivary immunoglobulin A
  • Reduce amount of anesthetics
  • Create relaxation for the surgical team
  • Lessen the time of hospital stay

Musical Activities for the Treatment of Problems:

  • Using personal audiocassette players during hospital stays
  • Listening to music in preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care
  • Pairing music with biofeedback prior to and after surgery
  • Pairing music with imagery prior to and after surgery
  • Listening to music the week before surgery to reduce anxiety
  • Listening to music to distract the patient from post-operative pain
  • Playing music in the operating room to help the surgical team relax and stay alert
  • Playing music during local anesthesia