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Music for Anxiety in Critically Ill Patients

Result of a Music Intervention on Anxiety in Critically Ill Patients

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04796389
Acronym
RELACS
Enrollment
104
Registered
2021-03-12
Start date
2020-08-24
Completion date
2021-12-01
Last updated
2022-04-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Anxiety

Keywords

music, anxiety, intensive care unit, critically ill

Brief summary

Rationale: Anxiety is common in critically ill patients, and has likely become more prevalent in the recent decade due to the imperative of the recent PADIS guidelines to use low levels of sedation and strive for wakefulness. Administration of sedative and analgesic medication is often chosen to reduce anxiety, especially when associated with agitation, but especially sedatives are associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation, delirium and muscle wasting and are therefore preferably minimized. Previous studies have suggested positive effects of music interventions on anxiety in the critically ill, next to other physiological signs such as pain. However, management of anxiety has not been included in the PADIS guidelines, and there is lack of evidence to treat it in spite of its growing importance. Therefore, we aim to study the effect of music intervention on anxiety in adult critically ill patients. Objective: The primary objective is to assess the effect of music intervention on the level of anxiety. Study design: A randomized controlled trial. Study population: Adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit, with whom communication is possible (Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale of -2 or higher). Intervention (if applicable): The music group will be offered to listen to music two times per day for three days after inclusion, during 30-60 minutes per session. Chosen music will be based on the preference of the patient. The control group will receive standard of care during the entire study. Main study parameters/endpoints: The primary outcome is the effect of music on the Visual Analogue Scale for anxiety (VAS-A). Secondary outcomes include effect of music on sedation and agitation level, medication requirement, pain, sleep, delirium, heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and ICU memory and experience.

Interventions

OTHERMusic

Preferred music of the participant administered using headphones.

Sponsors

Erasmus Medical Center
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Randomized controlled trial

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Patient is hemodynamically stable and communicable (RASS of -2 or higher in the 24h before intended inclusion: meaning patient is at least briefly awakened with eye contact to voice). * Expected ICU stay upon randomisation of at least another 48 hours. * Written informed consent acquired from the patient or legal representative.

Exclusion criteria

* Patients with severe hearing impairment, defined as no verbal communication possible. * Neurological condition (e.g. severe stroke), when deemed to interfere with processing of music (e.g. not applicable to patients with minor stroke in past medical history without significant residual neurological deficits; those patients could be included). * Insufficient knowledge of the Dutch or English language for informed consent. * Participation in another study that may possibly intervene with the primary outcome measure

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Anxiety (VAS-A)1.5 yearMeasured using the Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety (VAS-A), on a scale of 0 to 10, in which a higher score means a worse outcome.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Anxiety (STAI-6)1.5 yearMeasured using the 6-item State- Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-6), on a scale of 20 to 80, in which a higher score means a worse outcome.
Sleep quality1.5 yearMeasured using a 7-item questionnaire, on a scale of 1 to 7, in which a lower score means a worse outcome.
Delirium1 yearMeasured with the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist (ICDSC), on a scale of 0 to 8, in which a score of 4 or higher indicates delirium.
Sedative and opioid medication requirement1.5 yearIncluding remifentanyl, propofol, benzodiazepines, dexmedetomidine, clonidine, paracetamol, sufentanyl, fentanyl, morphine, ketamine, epidural analgesia, haloperidol, and other benzodiazepines, atypical anxiolytics and antipsychotics.
ICU memory and experience1.5 yearAssessed by the ICU memory tool (ICU-MT), difference is assessed per item.
Heart Rate (HR)1.5 yearHeart Rate at the time of anxiety assessment in beats per minute.
Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP)1.5 yearMean Arterial Pressure at the time of anxiety assessment in mmHg.
Agitation and sedation level1.5 yearAssessed using the Richmond- Agitation- Sedation Scale (RASS), on a scale of -5 to +4, negative scores indicate level of sedation (a more negative score indicates deeper sedation) and positive scores indicate levels of agitation (the higher the score the more agitated the patient).
Complications1.5 yearComplications related to agitation, defined as removal of lines and tube by the patient.
Level of Pain1.5 yearMeasured using the Critical-Care Pain Observation (CPOT), on a scale of 0 to 8, in mechanically ventilated patients, or the NRS/VAS, on a scale of 0 to 10, for pain in non-ventilated and alert/oriented.

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
ICU length of stay1.5 yearMeasured in total amount of hours spend in the ICU after inclusion.
Mechanical ventilation1.5 yearTime spend on mechanical ventilation, measured in total amount of hours.

Countries

Netherlands

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 14, 2026