Effect of Music Therapy on the Quality of Recovery in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Under General Anesthesia, at the National Referral Hospital, Bhutan: a Randomized Controlled Trial

INTRODUCTION Music is a structured combination of sound with recognizable melody and rhythm, that is pleasant or exciting to listen to. Music causes body and mind relaxation, improves mood, reduces stress, and improves memory.

Music modulates the release of neurotransmitters in the brain. Musical stimuli increase extracellular levels of dopamine and serotonin and have pleasant effects on the body and mind.

Due to its pleasant effects on the body and mind, music has been used as a therapy in the medical field. Music therapy is found to significantly decrease pain, improve emotional distress from pain, reduce anesthetic agents and opioid use, and improve heart rate, blood pressure, and saturation during surgical procedures.

Music is usually played in the operating theatres. Music has an impact on the operating teams. Few surgeons and operating teams have regarded music as a distraction to their task, however, the positive impact of music on the surgical performance of the surgeons and the operating teams and the surgical outcomes was reported significantly more compared to the negative impact.

Patients prefer to listen to different music depending on their likes during the perioperative period. Music is found to have a positive impact on patients waiting for surgery by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.