Influence of music on operation theatre staff

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the perception of influence of music among surgeons, anesthesiologist and nurses in our hospital as well as to critically evaluate whether music can be used as an aid in improving the work efficiency of medical personnel in the operation theatre (OT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective, questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 100 randomly selected subjects were interviewed, which included 44 surgeons, 25 anesthesiologists and 31 nurses. Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) Windows Version 16 software was used for statistical evaluation. RESULTS: Most of the OT medical personnel were found to be aware of the beneficial effects of music, with 87% consenting to the playing of music in the OT. It was also found that most participants agreed to have heard music on a regular basis in the OT, while 17% had heard it whenever they have been to the OT. CONCLUSIONS: Majority of the respondent's preferred playing music in the OT which helped them relax. It improved the cognitive function of the listeners and created a sense of well being among the people and elevated mood in them. Music helped in reducing the autonomic reactivity of theatre personnel in stressful surgeries allowing them to approach their surgeries in a more thoughtful and relaxed manner. Qualitative, objective and comprehensive effect of specific music types varied with different individuals. Music can aid in improving the work efficiency of medical personnel in the OT. The study has reinforced the beneficial effects of playing music in the OT outweighing its deleterious outcomes.