Dosing Music for Anxiety Reduction in Parturients

Estimating the Effective Dose of Music Duration for Anxiety Reduction Prior to Cesarean Delivery

This is a clinical study that aims to determine the effective dose of music listening duration that is required to reduce anxiety in patients awaiting scheduled cesarean section. It will also compare types of music to accomplish this goal, both of which have been shown effective in prior studies. Methods will involve enrolling and playing music for patients awaiting scheduled C-section, and scoring their anxiety with pre- and post-music questionnaires. Music duration for each subject will be predetermined, and analysis of response will be performed to determine the effective dose 95%, or dose at which 95% of subjects should have a positive response.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 years or older
• Planning on scheduled cesarean section or non-emergent unscheduled cesarean section
• Able to provide informed consent
• American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) physical status score of II-III

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient refusal
• Impaired hearing
• Patient is taking at least one anxiolytic medication daily at baseline
• No anxiety (a score of 0, on a scale of 0-10, of pre-music exposure anxiety) after consent is given
• ASA IV or higher