Music during emergency stitches lowered pain scores; anxiety results were less certain
A review of randomized trials found lower pain scores with music than with standard care, while the anxiety estimate remained compatible with no difference.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Music used during emergency wound stitching reduced pain scores relative to standard care in the pooled trials. Anxiety scores also favored music, but that estimate reached the boundary of no difference. The abstract supports a clearer conclusion for pain than anxiety, while leaving the practical size of relief uncertain.
The review rated evidence certainty as low to moderate. This abstract-based summary cannot identify which music formats were used or how the standardized changes translate into relief that patients would notice.
What researchers found
Pain score: standardized mean difference
Music versus standard care during emergency suturing; negative values favor music.
Combining pain scores
The researchers combined randomized trials of music during emergency laceration repair. They expressed differences on a standardized scale, allowing results from different scoring systems to be summarized without treating them as changes in one shared pain unit.
Anxiety remained uncertain
For pain, the confidence interval stayed below the no-difference value. For anxiety, it reached that boundary, making the result less certain. Neither standardized estimate describes a percentage reduction in symptoms or the chance of feeling better.
The original publication
The impact of music intervention during emergency suturing on patients' pain and anxiety: a meta-analysis.
Zhou X, Li Z, Mei T et al.
Front Public Health · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41674515
- Record checked
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