1Department of Nursing, Kwangju Health College 2Department of Nursing, Kwangju Health College
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the effect of music therapy as a nursing intervention on changes in recovery of consciousness and vital signs for postoperative patients in the recovery room. The subject for this study were fifty three of postoperative patients who were transferred from the OR to the RR at Kwangju Christian Hospital in Kwangju City. Thirty of them were assigned to the experimental group, and twenty three, to the control group. The age of the subject was between twenty and sixty years of age. The subject had a general anesthesia without any special complications, and they were not completely awake. The data were collected for six months from July 1999 to February 2000. The method used was to compare the condition of the subjects in each group at the beginning and at certain times repeatedly. The features observed were the level of consciousness, the frequency of complaints of pain, and vital signs of the subject before and 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 60 minutes after hearing their favorite music for 30 minutes. The results are as follows 1. The recovery of consciousness was revealed through significant changes in facial expression, facial color, and grip strength in the experimental group more strongly than in the control group. No significant changes were shown in verbal order. The differences in recovery of consciousness in the pre-post music therapy between the two groups was not significant in verbal order, facial expression, or grip strength. However, significant changes were seen in facial color. 2. There were no significant differences between the two groups in changes in the frequency of pain complaints after music therapy. However, a significant difference was shown in the pre-post music therapy scres. 3. Vital signs did not show a significant difference between the two groups. However, the $SPO_2$ of the experimental group was significantly elevated after 60 minutes. The difference pre-post to the music therapy in the vital signs between two groups was significant only in body temperature. This study showed that the effect of music therapy given to postoperative patients is that it promotes changes in facial expression, facial color, and grip strength helping recovery of consciousness, stabilizing vital signs, elevating levels of $SPO_2$. and reducing complaints of pain. It is recommended that if the patient wants it music therapy be given right after surgery in the recovery room as a nursing intervention.
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