Non-Pharmacological Management of Symptoms during Mechanical Ventilation and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Critical Care: Patient Directed Music Listening

This chapter provides a review of the literature on nonpharmacological management of symptoms with music listening for critically ill patients during mechanical ventilation and with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The critical care environment is high energy, intense, and noisy. These characteristics of the ICU can often exacerbate symptoms and overstimulate patients. Patients may experience increased agitation, anxiety, increased pain or discomfort, and sleep interruptions. Patients are often on various medications unique to their diagnosis and underlying health issues and may need additional medications to address symptoms associated with the hospitalization. Nonpharmacological management, such as music listening provides an intervention that can assist in managing multiple symptoms, can be utilized repeatedly or at various times through the day or evening, be tailored to patient preferences, can be safe and effective, and require minimal energy for patients to use. The chapter reviews the mechanisms of how music listening can help with symptom management and provides guidelines, recommendations, and contraindications for selecting music of patient use. A brief assessment tool is presented to help guide the process of determining patient music preferences and how music listening may be helpful. Lastly, recommendations are provided on how to make music listening accessible in the critical care environment.