Efficacy of music listening as a postoperative pain management intervention in adult patients: a systematic review.

Review Objective: The aim of this review is to critically analyse and synthesise the best available evidence on the impact of music listening on postoperative pain Inclusion Criteria: Types of Participants: Adults (18 years or older) who have undergone any elective major or minor surgery irrespective of the severity of underlying condition. Types of Interventions: Any type of recorded music (patient preferred or investigator chosen) of any duration, that is delivered immediately after surgery to the 3rd postoperative day, through any medium (audio or video CD/ tape player, music pillows, e.t.c.), in addition to usual care. Types of Outcome Measures: Primary outcome Postoperative pain measured before and after the intervention by any validated pain assessment tool (such as the Visual Analogue Scale, Verbal Rating Scale, McGill Pain Questionnaire). Secondary outcomes Analgesic consumption measured by patient‐controlled analgesia (PCA) pumps or patient records, and expressed as morphine equivalents (intramuscular/ subcutaneous/ intravenous). Number of adverse events reported in the individual papers included in the review.