Investigation of the Effects of Music on Anxiety During Operations Under Spinal Anaesthesia at an Hospital in Cambodia

Background: During operations conducted under spinal anaesthesia patients are aware of their environment, including sounds related to operative instruments and the voices of staff. This has the potential to cause anxiety and amplify existing anxiety which can negatively impact patient experience and outcomes. Research has shown peri-operative music can reduce anxiety but there is no robust evidence for the effect of intraoperative music on intraoperative anxiety.

Objectives: The primary objective is to determine the effects of intraoperative music on intraoperative anxiety levels for patients undergoing procedures conducted under spinal anaesthesia. The secondary objectives are to investigate whether participants feel that music improved/would improve their experience and whether they would choose it in future or recommend it for others.

Methods: This prospective randomised controlled trial will be conducted at the Children's Surgical Centre in Phnom Penh. Participants will be 18 years or over, due to undergo a procedure that requires spinal anaesthesia and not have a medical history that fulfils any of the exclusion criteria. The trial will aim to recruit between 16 and 28 patients consecutively once it commences, and participants will be randomised to either the music (M) group or the 'control' (C) group. The M group will receive music (pre-selected from 5 categories) played through headphones for the duration of the operation. The C group will receive no music or headphones. Anxiety will be measured in both groups, through a visual analogue scale (VAS), at the beginning of the operation and after 30 minutes of the procedure. In the recovery room the participants will be asked two questions relating to experience and future recommendations.

Results: The VAS scores and change in VAS scores will be displayed as mean ± Standard Error and the results from the two groups will be compared using a student's paired t-test or a Mann-Whitney U test depending on the distribution of the data. The results from the post-operation questions will be displayed as frequencies and the answers will be compared using a χ2 test. All tests will be 2-tailed and P<0.05 will be considered significant

Inclusion criteria

• 18 years of age and older
• Undergoing a procedure at CSC that requires spinal anaesthesia and spinal anaesthesia is not contra-indicated
• Gives informed consent to participate in the trial

Exclusion criteria

• Has an existing psychological diagnosis
• Has auditory impairment
• Deemed not to have capacity to give consent
• Sedatives are administered during the procedure
• General anaesthesia is required during the procedure