LAUSR

Abstract Introduction Burn injuries lead to severe pain and long-term psychological consequences. This study aimed to investigate the effect of patient-preferred music on anticipatory anxiety, post procedural (wound care) burn pain and relaxation level. Methods This pretest-posttest randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted with 92 hospitalized adult patients with a burn injury. The sample was selected using a convenience sampling method and patients randomly assigned to either a control (n = 46) or a preferred-music intervention (n = 46) group. In addition to routine care, the patients in the preferred-music intervention group listened to their preferred music for 20 min once a day for three consecutive days before the wound care process. However, the control group only received routine care for the same period of time. Anticipatory anxiety, the intensity of post-procedural burn pain and relaxation level were measured and compared between the groups at three intervals. The Persian version of burn specific pain anxiety scale and a visual analogue scale were used for data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Results A statistically significant reduction was reported for the first post-intervention anticipatory anxiety level in the preferred-music intervention (PMI) group compared with the control group (P = 0.004). A statistically significant reduction was also reported in post-procedural pain intensity, a statistically significant increase in relaxation level in the intervention group compared with the control group (P  Conclusions The patient-preferred music intervention as a noninvasive and low cost approach can be considered in combination with medications for relieving pain and anxiety during performing painful procedures in burn patients.