Examination the effect of music on comfort, anxiety and pain at the cerebrovascular accident patients in critical care unit

Critical care units are special units where patients, whose clinical status are severe, were monitorized and vital functions were supported. In these units patients frequently experience pain and anxiety, and their comfort is affected negatively. This half-experimental study was conducted on cerebrovascular accident patients in clinical care unit for the purpose of examining effects of music, on the patients' pain, anxiety and comfort status.The population of this study include adult patients that were hospitalized in critical care unit of Adana State Hospital who were conscious, who had no hearing problem, who can speak Turkish, who have not given analgesic in 24 hours, who had accepted to be included in the study and who had cerebrovascular disease. Seven different data collecting forms were used in the study. First and second forms were about characteristic features and life findings of the patients and were developed by the investigator. Third form was VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) scale that was used to evaluate pain level. Fourth, fifth and sixth forms were to evaluate anxiety levels and included occasion (STAI-1) and continuous (STAI-2) anxiety scales. Seventh form was general comfort scale which determined general comfort status of patients. All data were analized with SPSS 11.5 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) computer program and evaluated with t-test.Accordining to results of this study were meaningful statistically, as the music has a decreasing effect on the level of systole arterial tension, pain and anxiety, and has an increasing effect on comfort status and value of pO2(p<0,05). It was emphasized that music is an effective intervention on managing comfort, anxiety and pain status of the patients. For that reason, it was considered that use of music as a nurse intervention would provide positive contribution for patients, and it was suggested that use of music should be included to independent nursing applications.Key Words: Pain, anxiety, comfort, music theraphy, critical care unit.