Critical Care Nursing Commons^™

Music Therapy As An Intervention To Reduce Anxiety In Mechanically-Ventilated Patients, Stephanie L. Levine

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Patients receiving mechanical ventilation endure high levels of stress and anxiety due to the invasiveness of the procedure. These critically ill patients are often uncomfortable as a result of their serious conditions and the high-intensity environments in which they are placed. Health care workers heavily sedate these patients to minimize pain and induce a state of relaxation. However, sedatives are known for their wide-ranging, and often deleterious, side effects. Music therapy is an intervention that has been studied in a variety of hospital settings to determine any potential beneficial effects on patients. Many studies have demonstrated a relationship between music …