Effects of music in reducing disruptive behavior in a general hospital

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There are few controlled studies in acute care of the effectiveness of distracting music in reducing the frequency of noise produced by dementing individuals.

OBJECTIVE: The authors tested whether a randomized intervention of playing baroque music for 30-min periods would reduce the frequency of repetitive shouting and banging in elderly patients in a teaching hospital.

STUDY DESIGN: Single case studies with 9 participants (7 females, 2 males), with a mean age of 82.7 years (SD = 7.44). Observations were made at different times of day for a minimum of four sessions.

RESULTS: Trials with distracting music in seven cases had a reduced frequency of disruptive noises of from 89% to 63% from peak levels in control trials. In 2 participants with an extremely high frequency of incidents, the frequency of outbursts of noise was reduced by up to 31% on trials with music compared to control trials.

CONCLUSIONS: The use of music to reduce disruptive noise in an acute care setting appears to be as effective as other such interventions have been in residential care facilities.