Operating theatre teams should review use of background music, study suggests

An analysis of video footage shows that some operating theatre teams are negatively affected by background music, during surgery. Researchers suggest that the decision to play music during an operation should be made by the entire team, taking into account both the benefits and the risks. The study, published today (5 August) in the Journal of Advanced Nursing , suggests that communication within the theatre team can be impaired when music is playing. For instance, requests from a surgeon to a nurse for instruments or supplies were often repeated and there was qualitative evidence of frustration or tension within some of the teams. Sharon-Marie Weldon, a lead author of the study from the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London, said: "Music can be helpful to staff working in operating theatres where there is often a lot of background noise, as well as other distractions - it can improve concentration. That said, we'd like to see a more considered approach, with much more discussion or negotiation over whether music is played, the type of music, and volume, within the operating teams." Dr Terhi Korkiakangas, the other lead author from UCL Institute of Education, said: "In the operating theatres we observed, it was usually the senior medics of the team who made the decision about background music. Without a standard practice of the team deciding together, it is left up to junior staff and nurses to speak up and challenge the decisions of senior doctors, which can be extremely daunting." Music was first introduced into operating theatres in 1914 to relieve the anxiety of patients.