The effect of musıc medıcıne wıth vırtual realıty glasses on patıents’ surgıcal anxıety and comfort durıng ureteroscopy: a randomızed controlled trıal

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a combined music medicine and virtual reality intervention on the surgical anxiety and perianesthesia comfort among patients undergoing elective semi-rigid ureteroscopy under spinal anesthesia. This randomized controlled trial with blinded outcome assessment was conducted between June and December 2024 at Aydın State Hospital, Türkiye. A total of 60 patients (30 experimental, 30 control) who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to two groups. The experimental group experienced a virtual reality (VR)-based music medicine intervention, while the control group received routine perioperative care. Outcomes were assessed by a researcher blinded to group allocation. Ethical approval was obtained from the Aydın Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Medicine Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee (Decision No: 12; Protocol No: 2024/80). The study was reported in accordance with the CONSORT statement. No significant difference was found between the groups in surgery-specific anxiety scores ( p = 0.285). However, the experimental group had significantly higher comfort levels than the control group (2.92 ± 0.28 vs. 2.26 ± 0.52; p < 0.001), with a moderate effect size (r = 0.63). Regression analysis confirmed that the intervention group scored, on average, 0.62 points higher in comfort (B = 0.621, p < 0.001), explaining 39% of the variance (R 2 = 0.390). Music medicine combined with VR may serve as a practical, non-pharmacological intervention to enhance perioperative comfort and improve the patient experience during ureteroscopy. The findings support the integration of immersive audiovisual interventions into perioperative care. Further research with larger, multicenter samples and personalized content is recommended to evaluate long-term and physiological outcomes. Clinicaltrials.gov id: NCT06914830.