Harmonic sounds: complementary medicine for the critically ill.

Full Abstract

Anxiety is a common phenomenon among hospitalized patients, and over the past few decades there has been a growing interest in using music as an anxiolytic agent on patients in intensive care undergoing ventilation. Critically ill patients experience both anxiety and pain related to their illness and injury, but the implementation of music can help provide a supportive role for relief of symptoms that interfere with the healing process. This article aims to review music therapy as an aid to reducing anxiety and pain levels within an intensive care unit setting. By observing the literature, music therapy as a non-pharmacological intervention will be discussed and the benefit of promoting a healing environment for patients will be addressed.

Author information

Author/s: Cardozo, Margaret (M);

Affiliation: Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Review

Journal: British journal of nursing (Mark Allen Publishing) (Br J Nurs), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: -2004 Dec 9-2005 Jan 12; vol 13 (issue 22) : pp 1321-4

Dates: Created 2005/02/02; Completed 2005/03/01; Revised 2005/11/16;

PMID: 15687896, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

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