The effect of music therapy on patients' anxiety and perception during radiation oncology simulation and treatment

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of music therapy on patient anxiety and perception during radiation oncology procedures. The design of this study included experimental and control groups with pre-test and multiple post-test data collection. Groups were randomly assigned to experimental (music) and control (standard treatment) groups and included patients with head/neck, abdomen and breast treatment area (N = 26). The dependent variables included a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) anxiety measure, items from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare and Provider Services/Picket and the facility Music Therapy satisfaction questionnaires. Results of a Two-Way Analysis of Variance with repeated measures revealed significantly lower post-test procedural anxiety between the experimental and control group across procedures after the simulation, the first treatment and the fifth. Patients' overall rating of the experience during each visitwas significantly different between groups and across conditions.Overall, music therapy decreased anxiety, especially at the time of the first treatment.