Anxiety and vital signs in cancer patients and music students before and after a music intervention: a quasi-experimental pilot study.
Raquel Caballero-de-la-Calle, Patricia Ferrero-Sereno, Miguel Ángel García-Garrido and 3 others
PMID 41191695WHAT IT FOUND
In 18 chemotherapy patients, anxiety ratings fell after live music, but systolic blood pressure and heart rate rose.
With no control group and chemotherapy ongoing, music cannot be credited.
Key findings
01Total anxiety decreased by 4 points after the 30-minute live music session during chemotherapy (p=0.004).
02Systolic blood pressure rose by 12.5 mmHg and heart rate rose by 2.5 bpm after the session, but the authors say this cannot be attributed to music alone because chemotherapy was being given.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a pilot with 18 analysed patients, no control group and no randomization, so time-related changes cannot be separated from the music effect. Patients were receiving chemotherapy during the session, and the authors note anxiety can decrease after chemotherapy. Systolic blood pressure and heart rate increased after the session, which does not support a simple calming effect on vital signs. Five of 23 patients did not complete the study because treatment ended before the music session. Patients had low pain at baseline, so the study could not test whether music helps pain. The authors describe the effect size on anxiety as low. The study was limited by the academic calendar and low patient participation.
Declared interests
Funding came from Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio through a 2023 research grant. The supplied funding section does not report commercial sponsorship or author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that live music lowers anxiety and vital signs in chemotherapy patients. The study had no control group, patients were receiving chemotherapy at the same time, and their systolic blood pressure and heart rate increased after the session. The authors also note anxiety can fall after chemotherapy, so the music effect cannot be separated.