“Music medicine and music therapy are not meant to be alternative forms of therapy, rather they are provided as a complementary treatment to existing care,” he says.
Music may distract and relax patients, says Dr. John Marshall of the University of Missouri School of Medicine in Columbia, Missouri, who was not part of Dr. Lee’s review.
“When we did our music study in colonoscopy patients many years ago, we were giving patients light sedation,” Dr. Marshall says. “The patients were awake during their procedures. The music seemed to be a helpful adjunct to improving the patient experience.”
Today, most colonoscopy patients are moderately to heavily sedated, so music during the procedure may not matter as much, though pleasant background music prior to the procedure makes sense.
“There are many things to consider when devising a music program for patients, so I would recommend consulting a music therapist when establishing a music medicine program,” Dr. Lee says.
Reference
- Lee JH. The effects of music on pain: A meta-analysis. J Music Ther. 2016 Oct 19. pii: thw012. [Epub ahead of print]
