The Effects of Music Intervention on Respiratory Comfort, Anxiety, and Depression During Noninvasive Mechanical Ventilation Among Patients With COVID-19

Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 may experience emotional problems and respiratory discomfort during mechanical ventilation. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of music therapy on respiratory comfort, anxiety, and depression among patients with COVID-19 under noninvasive mechanical ventilation.

It was a randomized clinical trial. The study subjects were 64 patients requiring noninvasive mechanical ventilation (NIV) who were selected from the COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) of Ali ibn Abi Talib Hospital, Rafsanjan City, Iran. They were randomly allocated to the intervention (n=32) and control (n=32) groups. The intervention group received 30 minutes of daily light music by an MP3 player and a JBL headphone for 4 consecutive days, and the control group only used headphones. The data were collected by the hospital anxiety and depression scale and a visual analog scale before and 4 days after the intervention. The SPSS software, version 16 was employed for data analysis through the chi-square, independent sample, and paired-samples t-tests at a significance level P<0.05. 

The groups did not significantly differ regarding the pre-test mean scores of respiratory comfort, anxiety, and depression before intervention (P>0.05). The mean scores of respiratory comfort, anxiety, and depression significantly changed in the intervention group (P<0.05), but no significant changes were seen in the control group (P>0.05). Between-group differences respecting the post-test mean scores of these variables were also significant (P<0.05). 

Thirty minutes of daily music therapy for 4 days is effective in reducing anxiety and depression and improving respiratory comfort among patients with COVID-19 under noninvasive mechanical ventilation.