The effect of music intervention on patients with cancer-related pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Aim To synthesize the effect of music intervention on patients with cancer-related pain in randomized controlled trials. Design A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials following Cochrane methods. Data resources Systematic searches were conducted in Science Direct, Web of Science, Springer Link, Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations, Ovid, CINAHL, Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Proquest, Council of Higher Education National Thesis Center, ULAKBIM Turkish National Databases for studies published in English and Turkish without year limitation. The review period covered 1978-March 2018. Review methods The risk of bias of eligible studies was evaluated by two researchers using the Cochrane Collaboration tool. Results Six studies with 593 participants met the inclusion criteria. Music intervention was generally applied by the passive listening method, which ranged from 30-60 min and 1-3 sessions. No significant publication bias was found in the main outcomes. As a result of the meta-analysis, it was found that music interventions have a moderate effect on cancer-related pain. Conclusion Music intervention can have a positive effect on the management of cancer pain. The studies reported no adverse events. Nurses can use music intervention to manage cancer-related pain. Impact The meta-analysis addressed the effect of music intervention on cancer-related pain. The statistical result indicates that music intervention was moderately effective in cancer-related pain. The findings of this study will contribute to the application of effective music intervention by nurses and will provide guidance for the development of studies related to the effect of music intervention on cancer-related pain.