A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Alberta found that music significantly decreases the perceived pain of children undergoing treatment in pediatric ER.
Music heals the soul, many people say. In a new study researchers from the University of Alberta found that it can do much more than that. The study was conducted on 42 children between the ages of 3 and 11 who came to the pediatric emergency department at the Stollery Children's Hospital and needed IVs. Some of the children listened to music while undergoing the procedure while others did not. The children's stress levels, pain levels and heart rates were measured along with parents and health-care providers' satisfaction levels.
For children that listened to music, 76 per cent of health-care providers said the IVs were very easy to administer while only 38 percent of health-care providers felt the same way when they administered IVs where children were not listening to music. Children who were born premature experienced greater discomfort compared to the others, researchers noticed.
"We did find a difference in the children's reported pain - the children in the music group had less pain immediately after the procedure," Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry researcher Lisa Hartling said in a press release. "The finding is clinically important and it's a simple intervention that can make a big difference. Playing music for kids during painful medical procedures would be an inexpensive and easy-to-use intervention in clinical settings."
Hartling and her team want to explore further whether music can be used to elevate pain among children undergoing other painful medical treatments.
"There is growing scientific evidence showing that the brain responds to music and different types of music in very specific ways," said Hartling. "So additional research into how and why music may be a better distraction from pain could help advance this field."
Findings of the study were published in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Pediatrics today.
