Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pain is a significant complication following cardiac surgery. While pharmacological treatments are standard, non-pharmacological interventions like music offer a promising, low-cost adjunct for pain management. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a music intervention on pain and vital signs during the first postoperative bed bath for patients recovering from cardiac surgery. METHODS: This study was a single-blind, randomized controlled trial involving 38 patients who had undergone Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG). Patients were allocated to either an experimental group (n = 19), which listened to self-selected music via headphones, or a control group (n = 19), which wore headphones with no audio. The primary outcome, pain, was measured using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and the Wong-Baker FACES Scale (WBS) during and after the bed bath. RESULTS: The music intervention group demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in pain scores both during and after the bath. Compared to the control group, the experimental group's pain scores decreased by a mean of 2.41 points on the NRS (P < 0.001) and 2.11 points on the WBS (P < 0.001). Furthermore, a significant reduction in heart rate (P = 0.019) was observed in the experimental group. CONCLUSION: Music intervention effectively reduced pain and stabilized heart rate during a potentially painful routine procedure in the immediate postoperative period of cardiac surgery.