Laughter Doctors
Members of 'Laughter Doctors of Ciudad Juarez' get ready before performing at a children's hospital in Ciudad Juarez March 11, 2015. Through clown performances, music and interactive activities, the group of doctors visit different hospitals throughout the border city, using laughter to help aid the recovery of young and elderly patients suffering from serious illness or injury, as well as provide hope for the hospitalized patients and their families, local media reported. Picture taken March 11, 2015. Reuters

Pain and anxiety could be relieved during and after the surgery if the patient is listening to their favourite music, researchers found. Experts also suggest the patient should be allowed to listen to music before undergoing the operation to relax their body.

A new study by experts from Brunel University and Queen Mary University of London stated that patients who were allowed to listen to their favourite songs or tunes were less anxious after the surgery, and their pain levels dropped by two points on a scale of one to 10. Music also reduced the pain even while patients were under general anaesthesia.

In the research published in the Lancet, the team reviewed 70 trials involving about 7,000 patients around the time of surgery. They found music made the patients more likely to feel satisfied by the procedure.

“Music is a non-invasive, safe, cheap intervention that should be available to everyone undergoing surgery,” said lead author Dr Catherine Meads from Brunel University. Researchers also suggest hospitals should allow the patient to choose the type of music they would like to hear “to maximise the benefit to their wellbeing.”

But the recommendation of music during surgery should not interfere with the medical team’s communication, Meads said. As the new study is echoing the findings from a recent research suggesting patients are being put at risk by surgeons listening to music during the operation.

However, a spokesman from the Department of Health said the research is a “very interesting.” The department hopes doctors would consider the findings closely, as they want patients “to have the best experience and recovery possible when they undergo surgery."

The researchers want hospitals to suggest in NHS London to make information leaflets which patients can bring music devices and playlists into hospital with them. However, with the effect on stress and pain, music did not reduce the length of hospital stays, they noted.

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