Role and Impact of Operating Theatre Background Music on Users and Patients: Opinion of Theatre Staff

Abstract

Aim: To determine the opinion of operating theatre users on the role of operating theatre background music on theatre users and patients in tertiary health care facilities in Port Harcourt. Background: The relationship between music and health has been described by researchers. Music has been used in several hospital settings with effects which some consider beneficial and others harmful. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among theatre users from March to June 2020 in two multispecialty tertiary healthcare facilities in Port Harcourt Nigeria. Using the convenience sampling method, data collected with pretested semi-structured questionnaires were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Results: One hundred and twenty-one (82.9%) respondents asserted to knowledge of relationship between music and stress hormone. 97 (66.4%) agreed that music has positive effect on workers in the operating theatre. One hundred and seventeen (80.1%) respondents were of the opinion that background music in the operating theatre is not a distraction, while 22 (15.1%) respondents felt otherwise. One hundred and forty-four (98.8%) respondents agreed to usefulness of background music while at work. High proportion of respondents who lack knowledge of the relationship between stress hormone and music had no preference for operating theatre background music and the relationship was statistically significant (PConclusion: Operating theatre background music is useful as opined by the majority of operating theatre staff, though its preference is low among those with less knowledge of the positive relationship between such music and stress hormones.