Burrai, F., Micheluzzi, V., & Bugani, V. (2014). Effects of live sax music on various physiological parameters, pain level, and mood level in cancer patients. Holistic Nursing Practice, 28, 301–311. 

To examine the effects of live saxophone music in patients with cancer

Patients were randomly assigned to music or control groups. A holistic nurse played the saxophone music for patients in a hospital room with the patient lying in bed and the door closed. Sound could not be heard in other rooms. Patients chose five or six musical pieces of different styles from a large playlist. The patient listened for about 30 minutes, then returned to the regular hospital room. The intervention was given weekly for four weeks. Control group patients had a 30-minute rest period. Physiologic parameters and mood and pain data were obtained after the intervention or rest period weekly. Patients were receiving chemotherapy in an inpatient setting.

• N = 52
• MEAN AGE = 64.9 years (SD = 12.7 years)
• MALES: 17.3%, FEMALES: 82.7%
• KEY DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Disease types not described; 86.6% had metastatic disease
• OTHER KEY SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS: Overall, 98% of participants listened to music regularly and 61.5% were receiving analgesics.

• SITE: Single site  
• SETTING TYPE: Inpatient  
• LOCATION: Italy

• PHASE OF CARE: Active antitumor treatment
• APPLICATIONS: Palliative care 

Single-blinded, randomized, controlled trial

• Physiologic parameters including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, glycemia, and oxygen saturation
• Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain (0–10)
• VAS for mood from (0 = great mood, and 10 = worst possible mood)

Oxygen saturation in the experimental group increased from an average of 98 to 99 postintervention. Pain levels in the experimental group decreased on average from 1.8 (SD = 1.9) to 0.7 (SD = 1.1, p = 0.001). Mood changed from a 5 on average to 2.2 in the experimental group (p = 0.000). There were no significant changes in the control group. Differences between the groups were not significant for pain or mood.

The findings of this study did not show a significant effect on pain from live music compared to usual care. Listening to live music was associated with improved mood.

• Small sample (< 100)
• Baseline sample/group differences of import
• Risk of bias (no blinding)
• Unintended interventions or applicable interventions not described that would influence results
• Measurement validity/reliability questionable
• Other limitations/explanation: More patients in the experimental group were receiving analgesics at baseline. The types of analgesics or any change in analgesics were not discussed. Baseline pain levels were low, suggesting potential floor effects. The mood measurement was not a validated tool. Measures were taken immediately after the intervention, and it was not clear what value from the weekly measures was used in the final analysis. No description of the types of pain was given.

The findings of this study suggest that listening to live music can improve patients’ moods. This study did not provide strong evidence for the effects of music on pain, and the study report had multiple limitations. Music interventions are low-risk and may be helpful for some patients. The intervention can be provided in multiple ways in multiple settings although the use of live music therapy can be more limiting because of available settings.