Music exposure and anxiety reduction in pre-operative surgical patients

¶ … Music on Anxiety

It is widely known that surgery is a specific cause of stress and anxiety among surgical patients. This stress begins when patients first learn that they require surgery and continues throughout pre and post-operative phases. In many respects, stress is associated with higher instances of negative outcomes such as in relation to complications and the need for medications. Exposure to music is one factor that has been associated with stress reduction. This problem was clearly stated and is directly relevant to nursing.

According to the literature reviewed, surgical patients are more anxious than adults generally. It is not clear that this required substantiation because it seems obvious. The literature review also disclosed that anxiety in patients corresponds to medical complications and that medication alone may not necessarily reduce anxiety substantially. This literature is very relevant to the study as is the literature pertaining to previous studies I which exposure to different types of music were compared.

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework

The principle theoretical framework was the Stress Adaptation Theory of Hans Selye, MD, according to whish stress is unavoidable but the manner in which individuals respond to and adapt to stressors significantly determines the ultimate effect of stress. That theory posits that anything capable of reducing the patient's experience of stress is beneficial, which is extremely relevant to the research topic.

Research Variables

The independent variable was exposure or non-exposure to music during the waiting period immediately preceding surgery. The dependent variable was a measure of stress by virtue of physiological responses. Those variables were perfectly chosen for the study topic.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis was that exposure to music during the immediate pre-operative period would correspond to a reduction in stress in the experimental group as compared with the control group. This hypothesis is perfectly appropriate and capable of empirical testing for substantiation or non-substantiation.

Sampling, Research Design, and Data Collection Methods