The Impact of Evidence-Based Education About Music Listening on Nursing Knowledge

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this project was (i) to develop and present an evidence-based educational presentation about music listening for adolescent patients during painful procedures to the nursing staff in a pediatric oncology clinic in Tucson, Arizona and (ii) to assess the impact of the education on nurses’ knowledge and nursing adoption of the intervention with patients.Background: Pediatric oncology patients frequently undergo painful procedures throughout treatment, and inadequately treated pain can result in significant long-term consequences, including avoidance of medical care as an adult. Music listening is a low-risk, easily implemented, and cost-effective intervention that can be used in the clinic setting. Current research shows that music therapy is effective in improving the experiences of adolescents undergoing oncological treatment, and that because nurses are the first line in assessment of the patient and decision-making, they can play a substantial role in a multidisciplinary therapeutic approach incorporating music. Methods: This quality improvement (QI) project utilized a pretest/posttest design with an evidence-based educational PowerPoint on music listening with adolescent patients during painful procedures. Participants were registered nurses (RNs) recruited from the Banner Diamond Children’s oncology clinic. The eight-question pretest and six question posttest contained three of the same knowledge-based questions about music listening. Nursing confidence with implementing the intervention before and after the educational session was also assessed. Results: Eight RNs (n=8) completed the pretest, education session, and posttest, and six RNs (n=6) completed the post-project evaluation survey. All eight RNs answered 100% of the knowledge-based questions correctly on the posttest. There was a statistically significant increase in nursing knowledge following the educational session (p=.0209). However, the education did not have a significant impact on nursing confidence with implementing music listening with patients (p=.0514). Conclusions: This project demonstrated that an evidence-based educational presentation on music listening did increase nursing knowledge in the Banner Diamond Children’s oncology clinic. However, the educational presentation did not increase nursing adoption of the music listening intervention with adolescent patients during painful procedures. Several participants noted inadequate time and staffing as barriers to adoption.