The Effects of Listening to Music on Anxiety, Pain, and Satisfaction during Urodynamic Study: A Randomized Controlled Trial

INTRODUCTION: To assess the influence of music therapy on perceived anxiety and pain during outpatient urodynamic study (UDS) in a prospective, randomized fashion.

METHODS: Between January and December 2018, a total of 70 patients were randomized to either have music therapy (study) or not have (control) in a 1:1 ratio. To the study group, Sufi music was delivered at low tempo. All participants performed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory evaluation after the procedure and assessed their degree of pain, satisfaction, and willingness to undergo an additional or repeat procedure using the Visual Analog Scale.

RESULTS: Patient demographic and baseline characteristics were found to be similar between the 2 groups. Though music did not significantly alleviate pain (4.6 ± 1.2 vs. 4.4 ± 1.7; p = 0.76) and anxiety (47.7 ± 7.75 vs. 46.4 ± 6.5; p = 0.36), it had a positive impact on the patient's willingness to repeat UDS (3.4 ± 1.4 vs. 6.1 ± 1.3; p = 0.005) and provided overall satisfaction (4.6 ± 0.61 vs. 7.2 ± 1.33; p = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS: Music is a practical, harmless, and inexpensive non-pharmacological option that can be adopted during medical and surgical procedures, although according to this present study, listening to music during UDS had no effect on pain and anxiety levels.