British researchers have found that patients listening to Frank Sinatra during surgical procedures performed under local anesthesia reported less anxiety, have lower respiratory rates and appear to heal faster than patients having similar procedures in a music-free setting. The small-scale study was published in the Annals of Royal College of Surgeons.

It wasn't only Sinatra's music being put to the test. Researchers repeated the experiment with classical works, including Vivaldi and Beethoven. We know that the patient's emotional experience of stress and anxiety manifests in physical responses within the body, including the promotion of an inflammatory response, which can complicate healing. With this study, we receive another confirmation that music is a non-invasive, effective, low-cost intervention that can be used to counter the inflammatory response, speeding recovery times and increasing patient satisfaction.

This brings us to an obvious question. Why isn't every surgical suite from coast to coast alive with the sound of music?

Embrace low-cost interventions
The economic challenges the healthcare industry is facing continue unabated. Every outpatient surgical facility is continually searching for a way to contain costs and identify potential areas for increased profitability. That's the only way we're going to be able to slow down — perhaps even get off — the treadmill of being continually asked to provide better care with less resources.

There is a direct positive relationship between improved patient outcomes and overall practice profitability. With this in mind, embracing low-cost combination interventions that provide improved patient outcomes seems to be an eminently sensible decision. Bringing music into the operating theater, the use of soothing color and attractive design in waiting and preparation areas, including artwork in the clinical setting: The conscious and deliberate decision to alter the environment in a way conducive to healing is not a new strategy, but it's a good one.

Music in the OR: anything goes?
Not everyone will greet the move to bring music into the operating room with open arms. There are people who find the presence of music to be over-stimulating and distracting. It is essential to take the experience of all team members into account.

It is important to note that the surgical team is by no means immune from the stress-reducing benefits of music. Team members may find that Vivaldi in the background makes it easier, not harder, to focus. It's reasonable to extrapolate that reduced stress levels and increased focus on the part of the surgical team can also contribute to improved patient outcomes. That's music to everyone's ears!