WASHINGTON, Aug. 5 (UPI) — Playing music during surgeries was found to hinder communication and create the potential for mistakes because of increased tension among doctors and staff, according to a new study.
Music is played during 50 to 70 percent of surgeries worldwide, and is often considered to be a positive addition in surgery rooms based on a feeling among professionals that it is calming and makes them more efficient.
“Noise levels in the operating theater already exceed World Health Organisation recommendations,” researchers wrote in the study, published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing. “There is currently a divide in opinions on the playing of music in operating theaters, with few studies conducted and no policies or guidance provided.”
The researchers recorded 20 surgeries over 6 months in two operating rooms, specifically analyzing communication between doctors. They recorded 5,203 request and response communications, finding that repeated requests were about 5 times more likely when music was playing during a procedure. Based on the surgeries they recorded, a repeated request can add between 4 and 68 seconds to a surgery.
“Our study shows that playing music in the operating theater can run counter to effective communication and highlights the need to consider both positive and negative effects of music on staff and patients,” said Sharon Weldon, a senior researcher at Imperial College London, in a press release.
While playing music was shown to negatively affect surgical communication, a previous study published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal showed that music decreased the time it took for surgical closure by about 7 percent.
In the study, 15 surgeons were asked to perform layered closure of incisions on pig feet. Each surgeon randomly was permitted to listen to music while performing the procedure. Senior physicians in the study saw their closure times improve by 10 percent while listening to music, while junior physicians saw their performance improve by 8 percent.
“Our study confirmed that listening to the surgeon’s preferred music improves efficiency and quality of wound closure, which may translate to health care cost savings and better patient outcomes,” said Dr. Andrew Zhang, an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch, in a press release.
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