Anyone used music as an intervention?

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I work at a 28 bed Cardiac ICU and stepdown unit (14 beds ICU, 14 SDU) and am in the process of putting together a presentation to start using music as a nonpharmological intervention at work. I have already found plenty of research to support it and my director is on board with the idea. What I am looking for is anyone who is using it already and the logistics of how they do it on their unit. There is plenty of information/research about the benefits but not on the nuts and bolts of implementing it. Any info is appreciated- what equipment are you using (CD, Mp3, headphones, speakers etc), what problems did you run into, how did you facilitate multi patient use of equipment, etc? Thanks in advance.

Great idea!! Good luck :up:

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Specializes in Cardiac ICU/Stepdown.

I specifically am not calling this music therapy because it is not. This will be used as a nursing intervention. The information I am hoping someone has is the nuts and bolts of how they implemented it. I don't want to reinvent the wheel if it has already been done. I am specifically looking at non-live music as I want to implement this for all nurses/ all shifts to have available. We have a big push for no restraints, already use sitters, aromatherapy to help decrease the need and I feel this would be a good adjuct intervention. Right now I am focused on our intubated patients but also forsee using it in our confused too. So does anybody has any experience using recorded music with individual patients? I have found lots of research studies but no "how to" in real life. Thanks

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I work at a 28 bed Cardiac ICU and stepdown unit (14 beds ICU, 14 SDU) and am in the process of putting together a presentation to start using music as a nonpharmological intervention at work. I have already found plenty of research to support it and my director is on board with the idea. What I am looking for is anyone who is using it already and the logistics of how they do it on their unit. There is plenty of information/research about the benefits but not on the nuts and bolts of implementing it. Any info is appreciated- what equipment are you using (CD, Mp3, headphones, speakers etc), what problems did you run into, how did you facilitate multi patient use of equipment, etc? Thanks in advance.

I work on a 48 bed ICU, and most of our patients request the "relaxation channel" after they've been introduced to it. My facility offers several different therapeutic TV channels... the most popular of which is Guided Imagery, utilizing soothing music (from James Taylor to Tchaikovsky) and relaxing pictures. This channel was set up by my Hospital's Biomed department (You would need to find out who/how your facility sets up their television channels and what your policies are) in conjunction with the Hospital Chapel. The channel may be used by anyone in the house without limit, thereby making it ideal for multiple patient use.

When storms knock out our Direct TV, this channel remains on as it is a looping power point presentation on an "empty slot" in the communication tower for the hospitals TV feed. In other words, the hospital won't be buying another channel or any equipment... making your idea even more appealing to the big guys upstairs. :)

Great idea and very therapeutic for your patients. Talk to your Biomed/Facilities/IT people. Best of luck to you!!

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Hi Mamatara,

I'm not a nurse yet - just a student, but have the same vision for using music to help patients as well. I worked as a tech/nursing aide on a smaller ICU unit and we had small "boomboxes" in each room. Each player was about 12 inches long by 6 inches wide and 6 inches high - small enough to fit on a shelf near an electrical outlet. They each had a CD player and radio. We kept the CDs (donated as copies by the nursing staff) up at the nursing station. This hospital was a not-for-profit and older - so it did not have ipods connectivity in the rooms. One advantage to these portable CD players is that due to their size they aren't easy as an iPod for patients/families/staff to take home. So depending on how many rooms you want to put music in - this might work as an inexpensive alternative.

Another idea, not sure if it will pan out:

1. Contact a music shop that installs home systems and get a short course on the options for homes - they might have options for corporate buildings as well.

2. Find an aspiring grant write who would write a free grant proposal for me (they would also identify potential donors as part of the grant writing process :-) to purchase and install the equipment.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

In my neuro ICU position we had radio channels on the TV. There was a relaxation channel too that we would use. Our cable music channels played a variety of different music.

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Specializes in Trauma ICU.

I knew an old Neuro ICU nurse who swore by Frank Sinatra for her really sick heads. She said the tones decreased their ICPs. I think there's benefit for both the nurse and the patient so I'll frequently put on AOL Radio at night and turn the volume up on our bedside computers accordingly when Im giving baths or doing something that requires me to be in the room for a longer period of time. During the daytime I usually ask the patient's family members what kind of music they like listening to and so long as its not death metal or really bad gangsta rap I'll see what I can do. We also have Music Therapy that can be requested if the doc puts in an order for CAM (contemporary alternative medicine/modalities). Its somewhat like a request for a bundle where you can get music (guitar, harp, cello), reiki, and a few other things. I look forward to the day when that includes pet therapy :)

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