1 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9
H
aving music
playing in a
surgical facil-
ity can make patients
more comfortable. As
a nurse who's also a
Julliard-trained violin-
ist, I've taken it a step
further by performing
live, when I have the
time, for individual
patients. It's delivered
therapeutic benefits and pleasantly surprising results. If you have
musicians in your facility — or if you're one yourself — you might
want to try it, too.
Because this is unorthodox, you'll need buy-in from your superiors.
My patients won my bosses over. The minute patients are exposed to
it, they'll sell it for you. They'll be your biggest fans. Our administra-
tion and managers were overwhelmed by that feedback. And they're
thrilled from a marketing standpoint. We've gotten great word of
mouth and local television coverage from this.
Live music can also help you individualize the patient care experi-
ence. I ask patients what their preferences are. I won't play my classi-
cal stuff if they want something different. Some like gospel, country,
popular tunes. Play whatever makes them feel good. So much of heal-
ing is psychological and spiritual — having the will to live, feeling at
peace. Music plays really strongly into that. Music therapists find that
when patients are exposed to music, their anxiety levels go down, less
Live Music Can Bring
Happiness and Healing to Patients
• TAKING NOTES Sara Kapinos, RN, has played for audiences all over the world.
Now she's promoting mental and physical healing through her music at her hospital.
Bridgton
(Maine)
Hospital,
Central
Maine
Healthcare
Ideas Work
That
