Using massage and music therapy to improve postoperative outcomes

AORN Journal, Sept, 2003 by Laura D. McRee, Stacie Noble, Alice Pasvogel

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

A more focused study could offer more meaningful results. A study that includes participants undergoing only one type of surgery could control for the type of procedure, sample, length of surgery, type of anesthesia, and similar postoperative recovery time.

The interventions in this study were performed preoperatively. It would be interesting to examine the effects of such interventions both preoperatively and postoperatively to determine if the treatments would influence the time it would take to reduce prolactin to a hemostatic level. A power analysis will be performed to determine the sample size needed for additional studies based on future hypotheses.

CONCLUSION

Outcomes related to the stress response could be detrimental to patients undergoing surgery; therefore, clinical research to identify interventions (eg, massage therapy, music therapy, guided imagery, hypnotherapy) that could decrease the stress response is valuable. Nurses are with patients during each phase of the surgical experience. Nurses, therefore, must have an understanding of the need to offer non-invasive, cost-effective approaches to improving patients' surgical experiences and improving preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative outcomes.

TABLE 1
Preoperative and Postoperative State-Trait Anxiety Scores

               Preoperative      Postoperative

                    Standard           Standard
Group        Mean   deviation   Mean   deviation    t     df    P

Massage
with music   2.2      0.49      1.4      0.32      5.75   12   .000
Massage      2.3      0.57      1.5      0.47      5.03   12   .000
Music        2.3      0.63      1.4      0.45      4.36   12   .001
Control      2.2      0.83      1.7      0.58      2.93   12   .013

TABLE 2
Preoperative and Postoperative Prolactin Levels

               Preoperative       Postoperative

                    Standard            Standard
Group        Mean   deviation   Mean    deviation     t     df    P

Massage
with music    9.7     6.26      34.7      27.2      -2.91   11   .014
Massage       9.3     5.6       56.9      48.63     -3.78   11   .003
Music        12.6    10.39      50.1      34.15     -3.72   12   .003
Control      10.0     2.99      52.6      45.86     -3.33   12   .006

TABLE 3
Preoperative and Postoperative Cortisol Levels

               Preoperative       Postoperative

                    Standard            Standard
Group        Mean   deviation   Mean    deviation     t     df    P

Massage
with music   11.6     6.08      17.6      16.34     -0.84   11   .421
Massage      14.1     6.81      17.4      13.44     -0.98   10   .351
Music        16.1     8.09      21.99     19.42     -1.05   12   .314
Control      15.2     8.91      14.7      18.72      0.08   12   .938

TABLE 4
Preoperative, Intraoperative, and
Postoperative Blood Pressure and Pulse

                        Massage with           Massage
                        music group             group

                   M *     SD ([section])     M       SD

Preoperative

Systolic blood
pressure          131.77       23.93        126.77   18.74

Diastolic blood
pressure           78.31        9.39         75.46   12.33

Pulse              75.69        8.64         76.15   14.46

Intraoperative

Systolic blood
pressure          122.46       12.13        115.23   11.0

Diastolic blood
pressure           69.0        10.5          68.62   10.12

Pulse              72.54        9.96         71.62    9.29

Postoperative

Systolic blood
pressure          123.15       18.96        124.54   12.31

Diastolic blood
pressure           71.08       12.03         73.69   12.38

Pulse              73.08       10.08         76.69   11.55

                      Music           Control
                      group            group

                    M       SD       M       SD      F      P

Preoperative

Systolic blood
pressure          131.69   11.61   130.69   18.67   0.21   .892

Diastolic blood
pressure           78.54    7.94    73.08   11.03   0.82   .489

Pulse              78.0    10.3     76.23   15.81   0.08   .969

Intraoperative

Systolic blood
pressure          126.0    14.31   116.42   18.91   1.62   .196

Diastolic blood
pressure           72.62   11.15    66.67   11.13   0.68   .571

Pulse              81.15   13.29    81.83   19.72   2.06   .118

Postoperative

Systolic blood
pressure          135.0    16.18   121.75   20.16   1.6    .203

Diastolic blood
pressure           79.31    9.32    76.25   11.6    1.24   .306

Pulse              80.08   10.9     80.83   21.56   0.81   .496

* M = Mean

([section]) = Standard deviation