Music and Anxiety in Radiotherapy Head and Neck patients

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  A survey of the effects of playing music in the treatment room for patients undergoing radiotherapy with a head and neck shell.

• IRAS ID

  190386

• Contact name

  Keren Williamson

• Contact email

  WilliamsonK2@cardiff.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Cardiff University

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 3 months, 12 days

• Research summary

  A survey of the effects of playing music in the treatment room for patients undergoing radiotherapy with a head and neck shell’.

  Patients receiving radiotherapy treatment to the head and neck region require an immobilisation shell to ensure accurate treatment. These shells prevent any movement of the head and neck greater them 3mm and, as a result, can induce anxiety in patients, especially if they are prone to claustrophobia. Research has found that listening to music can lower anxiety levels in patients. The standard intervention at Velindre Cancer Centre is to have popular/chart music played in the radiotherapy treatment rooms during each patients' treatment.

  This study aims to determine whether the use of relaxation music has an effect on anxiety in patients receiving head and neck radiotherapy, with an immobilisation shell, compared to those who receive the standard intervention of chart music.
  Patients, over the age of 18, receiving 6 weeks of radical radiotherapy to the head and neck region, excluding brain tumours, are eligible. Patients will be randomly allocated to one of two groups. Group one will have chart music, randomly selected by the treatment radiographers, for each treatment. Group two will have relaxation music for each treatment. Both groups will complete a short anxiety scale questionnaire before, during and after their course of radiotherapy. Results will be calculated for statistical analysis. The statistics will be used to compare the effects of relaxation and chart music with regards to patient anxiety. There will be ten patients in each group with the study extending over a 4 month period.

  Possible benefits of such study are; to establish if relaxation music has a greater effect on reduction in anxiety levels and if not, it can further support the use of music as standard intervention.

• REC name

  London - Fulham Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  15/LO/2038

• Date of REC Opinion

  18 Nov 2015

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion