Blog - Page 4 of 39 - Surgical Serenity Solutions

Feb Feb 12, 2024

Surgical Serenity Solutions: Now Available for All Parts of the Hospital

By DrAlice|February 12, 2024|Hospitals can Improve revenue, Music for all of the hospital|0 Comments

Elderly patient wearing headphones after surgery

Woman relaxed wearing headphones before surgery

Patients who are preparing for surgery or other anxiety-provoking procedures rely on Surgical Serenity Solutions to assist them through their procedure. Now, we are offering an additional product that will offer you soothing, therapeutic music throughout the clinic or the hospital and not only in surgery.

What is this new product?

Our new product is an MP3 player that can be loaded with any of our 5 therapeutic playlists: Classical, Jazz, New Age, Lullabies or Music for Memory Care. Over the past 15 years, patients and physicians alike have suggested that our headphones could be beneficial in so many other areas than just surgery. We are suggesting that hospitals purchase larger quantities of these MP3 players and actually give them to each patient after the procedure to take home for further benefit while recuperating/healing.

How can hospitals improve their revenue by adding Music Medicine to their services?

Because of hospitals and clinics ordering larger quantities we will be able to offer a considerably reduced price. AND we will offer each hospital or clinic the option to co-brand their MP3 players with their own logo. It’s going to be a win-win-win for everyone. The initial order can come from your marketing budget or as a fund-raising project.

Not only that but when hospitals employ music therapists, there are never enough to go around! In-person music therapy is absolutely the best, but most hospital budgets don’t allow for more than 3 music therapists per shift. Using our personal MP3 players with earbuds or headphones allows the patient to have therapeutic music, chosen by a clinical musicologist/therapy and the price is almost negligible! Why not have the best of both worlds!

patient waits for surgery with headphones on

Young patient listening music in bed in a hospital.

Areas that are interested in providing this complementary service to their patients include:

Labor and Delivery
Dialysis
Pain management
Chemotherapy
Behavioral Health
MRI
Mammography

Emergency departments need non-chemical ways to calm patients

Many doctors and nurses have asked about why emergency departments and ambulances couldn’t have our headphones or MP3 players to calm and comfort patients as they wait for emergency services and treatments.

Once a patient is stabilized and prioritized, there is often a long wait. Overhead music or any kind of piped in music isn’t nearly as effective as listening through headphones or high quality earbuds.

Every day people suggest new areas of medical/dental care that would benefit from Music Medicine

Areas such as dental clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, children’s hospitals and cataract centers are just a few of the places that could be using Music Medicine through headphones or MP3 players to calm and comfort patients until treatment can begin. Or even while treament is going on and afterwards while the patient is being stabilized in the recovery room.

We are anticipating a huge boom in our services and are very excited about being able to reach so many more patients.

Yes, we will still be selling our pre-loaded headphones for the Surgical Suite (and to individual patients) but other areas of the hospital can utilize the Serenity Solutions MP3 players.

To learn more about our products and to order for YOUR facility, go to www.SurgicalSerenitySolutions.com/hospitalheadphones!

Or reply to this post. Or email DrAlice@SurgicalSerenitySolutions.com.

Jan Jan 6, 2024

Rhythmic Entrainment: The heartbeat of Surgical Serenity Solutions

By DrAlice|January 6, 2024|Rhythmic entrainment|0 Comments

Have you ever had surgery? It’s not something that anyone ever looks forward to. Many people find out suddenly that they need surgery just days before the doctor recommends it. There’s not a lot of time to prepare. Even if you have heard that music before, during and after surgery is a good idea, you don’t really have time to put together a playlist of your favorite calming, soothing, comforting music.

My Story

This is what happened to me. My back and leg had been bothering me for almost 6 months and it was definitely getting worse. I had done several rounds of physical therapy but it wasn’t getting better. I was trying to walk a little each day and also had gone to a hot pool water therapy class but it just was not getting better!

One day, after X-rays and an MRI, my doctor said that I was probably going to need disc surgery because I had a bulging disc and my left calf was getting numb. It was a scary moment. He scheduled me about 3-4 weeks out so I had lots of time to think about it and maybe it would get better on it’s own?

Because I was already working at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, doing research on the healing power of music, I was aware that using music before, during, and after surgery, could do all kinds of wonderful things for the patient. But the information I was seeing about this phenomenon was about using music through speakers in the operating room. Some doctors were in favor of this but some wanted to play THEIR favorite music. Understandable.

The Big Misunderstanding

At that time (1995) I was learning about the concept of rhythmic entrainment and about how much affects the patient having surgery. I was beginning to put together how rhythmic entrainment would be working on a patients biorhythms even if they were under anesthesia. I remember bouncing this idea off of some of my music therapist friends at the University of Louisville in an effort to understand why music wasn’t played more often in surgery in order to help the patient reduce the amount of anesthesia, anxiety meds and pain meds and there was really no good answer, I didn’t think.

So a patient’s body responds to the pulse of the music even thought the patient is not consciously “listening” to the music.

I hope this all makes sense to you and that you find it interesting!! Please let me know if you have more questions.

Jan Jan 4, 2024

Updated FAQ’s about music delivery in surgery or medical procedures

By DrAlice|January 4, 2024|FAQs 2023|0 Comments

Elderly patient wearing headphones after surgery

There are certain questions that people have been asking about music with surgery since we launched in 2009, but there are also so many new advances in technology that the FAQ’s (frequently asked questions) change accordingly! If you have an additional question, please put it in the comments below! 🙂 Thanks!

Here are our 2024 Frequently Asked Questions

Can the headphones be used for things other than surgery?

Although our headphones were created with the surgical patient in mind, customers/patients have now used them in dentistry, chemotherapy, childbirth, pain management, kidney dialysis, blood transfusions, blood draws, and in the back of an ambulance! At this point, I feel sure that there are many other uses as well. All the more reason to download these playlists onto your iPhone and have them ready to go!

Will my hospital have these waiting for me?

More and more hospitals are purchasing our headphones by the hundreds to have waiting for the patient on day of surgery, or colonoscopy or root canal, etc. We are creating opportunities for hospitals to get a lower price on the headphones when they buy large quantities to give to patients. Best to ask your surgeon in advance so you can plan ahead.

Can I download all five playlists on my iPhone?

Absolutely! Just go to the Apple App Store by going to www.SurgicalSerenitySolutions.com/calm. Download all 5 or just one or two. The app is free and full of all kinds of information including a link to all of my blog posts. Each playlist is under $10. You won’t find a better non-pharmacological solution to anxiety and pain perception. Guaranteed!

Will my surgeon allow my iPhone or headphones in surgery?

In our experience, about 96-97% of surgeons allow the headphones. The key is whether or not they have seen the extensive research on the benefits of music during the perioperative period. Our music is the only therapeutic music already loaded onto cordless, lightweight headphones. Some hospitals and ASCs actually allow the patient to bring in their own headphones and stream the music from our app.

Is there actual clinical research on benefits of music for the patient during surgery?

Absolutely! There are 100’s of studies and meta-analyses of those studies. There is even a published study on OUR headphones and OUR therapeutic playlists.

Is there anything besides the headphones to use in surgery or in the hospital?

As of January 2024 there is nothing specifically for the patient. Some hospitals still play music over loudspeakers that is chosen for the doctors. The assumption is that the patient will soon be asleep so that there’s no need for them to have their own special music that is completely different from what the surgeon is listening to.

Nov Nov 13, 2023

Music in the Operating Room

By DrAlice|November 13, 2023|music in the operating room|0 Comments

The use of music in the operating room is not new. The idea of music for the PATIENT in the operating room is much newer! However even that has been done by some innovative and insightful doctors even since the 1950’s. The question is: does it really make a difference? Aren’t the patients asleep and totally oblivious to the music? THAT’s the question I want to address today!

The YouTube video above that I’m sharing comes from an anesthesiologist in New York. He seems like a really nice guy, fun guy, and a good anesthesiologist I’m sure. But he’s talking exclusively about music for the doctors in the operating room.

He talks about how they take turns choosing the music. If the patient requests something specific, he says that they honor that request, but once the patient is alseep, they choose what they want to hear. The problem is, the patient’s body does respond to that music, even if they are not consciously listening/hearing the music.

Our bodies respond to the pulse and vibrations of music whether conscious or unconscious. That’s why people who’ve been in comas for lengthy periods wake up reporting that they heard the music you played or sang; they appreciated the talking you did to them, and the reading you did, keeping them abreast of their condition or the family.

THAT is precisely the reason that we created Surgical Serenity Solutions! So that the patient could have their ideal music through pre-loaded headphones while the doctor has his ideal music through speakers in the OR.

Surgical Serenity Solutions is the only company in the world selling pre-loaded headphones to both hospitals and patients. To learn more and purchase, go to www.SurgicalSerenitySolutions.com

Here’s to a successful surgery and a rapid recovery!

Oct Oct 25, 2023

Will your hospital have music headphones for you?

By DrAlice|October 25, 2023|Surgery with Music|0 Comments

Young male patient listening to music pre-surgery

Having surgery is always stressful, but everyone knows now that music can make a big difference. Will your hospital have music headphones for you? This is a question that I get asked frequently and so I have a few suggestions as you prepare for your surgery.

Let me start by saying that more hospitals than ever have adopted our Surgical Serenity Solutions headphones. Still, there is a good chance that your hospital will not have music headphones for you. The good news is that research continues to be conducted and published that show the overwhelming positive benefits of patients have music before, during and after their surgical procedures or hospital-based diagnostic tests. This also applies to the procedures conducted in Ambulatory Surgical Centers. And if your hospital does not have music headphones for you, you can buy them directly from us and have them shipped in a matter of days.

Dr Leatherman was one of the first physicians in Louisville to use music in the operating room.

The first step is to talk with your surgeon or anesthesiologist about your desire to use music with your procedure

Today, the vast majority of surgeons and anesthesiologists have seen the research on the benefits of music with surgery and are in favor of the patient having music. But they have not had the opportunity to learn about the one company (so far) that has created headphones that are pre-loaded with soothing, steady, serene, and therapeutic music. Our music has been curated and sequenced by a clinical musicologist, and our process has received a U.S. patent and many accolades.

But doctors are busy and they don’t realize that a ready-to-go product exists. For this reason, I have written a brief white paper for the patient called “How to Talk with your Doctor about using music with surgery.” To download this report, go to www.SurgicalSerenitySolutions.com/Talk2Dr. The report provides your doctor with research and dialogue between the patient and doctor in language that the doctor needs to hear in order to be positively persuaded.

The second step is to order your own pre-loaded headphones if the hospital doesn’t have them

When I first started this business, pre-loaded headphones for surgery didn’t exist. By chance, one of our first customers was a physician in our city of Louisville, KY who was having a hip replacement and ordered them . To my great delight, she wrote me a personal letter afterwards saying what a positive experience it had been and assuring me that she would spread the word to her colleagues and patients. This was a great start for our business.

The third step is to read some of the research yourself so that you can speak with confidence on the subject

Dozens of powerful, persuasive research studies have been conducted on the use of music before, during and after surgery. One of the most impressive and conclusive was a meta-analysis that was published in the British journal The Lancet. Read this study here.

Hospitals have a vested interest in keeping patient satisfaction high

Have you noticed that when you go to the hospital for any reason, or even the doctors office nowadays, you’ll get a survey? Yes, medical professionals truly care that you have a positive experience at their hospital, surgery center, or private practice, but their reimbursement is also tied to positive patient ratings. Patients who have music headphones provided to them in the hospital tend to give higher patient satisfaction ratings. They know that their hospital is going above and beyond the call of duty to give them the best experience possible. And if they’ve had surgery in the past, they can definitely feel the difference between having a “sonic cocoon” created for them of beautiful, relaxing music and have a anxiety-filled pre-surgery period where nurses and techs are talking with patients all around you and you are separated from other patients only by a curtain.

Many patients have reported that just hearing other patients conversing with staff and their own family members made then more frightened than they were when they arrived at the hospital. Having these pre-loaded headphones blocks all of that out and puts the patient in their own “sonic cocoon.” This is true both before, during and after the procedure. The recovery area is also filled with patients just waking up from surgery and separated only by a curtain.

We are looking for organizations to sponsor a take-home headphone for each surgery patient to use during their recuperation. Don’t you think that’s a great idea?? Leave a comment if you have any connections with any of the health-related non-profits or even a company that wants to be known for supporting patients.

Think about and talk with your surgeon about your desire to use music during your procedure and how they hospital or YOU can make this happen! Best wishes for a successful procedure! And do let me know if you have any questions. Click below to get a quote for your hospital!

https://www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/hospitalheadphones

Oct Oct 18, 2023

Would you like your local hospital to offer music through headphones for surgery?

By DrAlice|October 18, 2023|Live music vs Recorded music, Music Medicine vs Music Therapy|0 Comments

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Would you like for your local hospital to offer music through headphones for surgery? I’ve been working in this field for over 25 years now and I think the answer is a resounding “YES!” Patients who go to the hospital or Ambulatory Care Center for a colonoscopy, a joint replacement surgery or cataract surgery, definitely want to be a comfortable and pain-free as possible.

For decades now, doctors, hospitals, and medical researchers have been conducting studies that show beyond the shadow of a doubt that music is powerful and positive in its ability to decrease anxiety, pain perception, and therefore, medication reduction. But right now, the hospitals that are offering music therapy are doing so only when music therapists are available to provide live music and create a relationship with that patient.

Music therapists are awesome and do amazing work, but there is not nearly enough to go around. You might say that music therapists are the “gold standard” but when a patient is anxious, fearful, and possibly in pain, Music Medicine is the go-to! And what exactly is Music Medicine, you ask? Music Medicine is an intervention that is offered by any caregiver when they provide soothing music that the patient can entrain with, through cordless headphones or earbuds. It is so easy and effective that every hospital on the planet could be doing this right now with very little expense.

For years I have been offering pre-loaded, cordless headphones on my website, Surgical Serenity Solutions, and now I am also offering just the powerful proprietary music that I have put together over the past 25 years. To purchase one of our playlists, go to the Apple App Store on your smartphone or tablet and listen to the samples, then choose the playlists you like best.

This music has been studied and tested by anesthesiologists and surgeons in Louisville, KY and they published a study that you can read HERE. This study found that patients who were listening to the this music through cordless headphones, experienced 20% less pain perception than those who did not listen to music through headphones. We were so excited, but not surprised.

We’re looking for organizations that would like to sponsor headphones for patients to take home. Examples would be children recovering from surgery, cancer patients taking chemo, etc.

In addition, I am creating a consulting option for hospitals that want to understand how THEY can get music working for their patients in their hospital.

All five playlists will be available for licensing at a very reasonable price.

Sep Sep 4, 2023

Headphones for surgery, headphones for MRI

By DrAlice|September 4, 2023|Other hospital headphones|0 Comments

Just as I think I know all there is to know about hospital headphones, something new appears!! Since the late 1990’s my focus has been on headphones that are specifically intended to be used before, during and after surgery. I started with headphones for surgery because of a personal experience with surgery in the mid-1990’s.

As time went on, doctors and patients were frequently proposing so many other used for my pre-loaded headphones. Dentistry, chemotherapy, hospice patients were a few of those.

Many people asked if our pre-loaded headphones could be used in an MRI machine and the answer has always been “no” because there is a tiny bit of metal in them and that would not be allowed. MRI standsSo for “Magnetic Resonance Imaging” and the machine has a giant magnet in it. When the buzzing the clanging start (depending on what part of your body has a problem) the vibrating of your bones and organs produces a clear image of that body part. This allow the physician to understand exactly what is going on in the body. Brilliant idea!

But because our headphones have that tiny bit of metal in them, they can’t be used in the MRI machine because it would interfere.

So, last Wednesday I had to have an MRI and I was prepared to have them play music through speakers in the MRI machine. That’s what I’ve had in the past and it’s OK when the beeping and buzzing and clanging aren’t going on, but when they are, it’s impossible to hear the music. When they asked me if I’d like headphones I was flabbergasted! And the headphones that you see in the picture are what they gave me.

The machine was made by the Siemens company, and the headphones plug into a place at the foot of the MRI machine. They have absolutely no metal in them and the music comes through an airtube. For me, the headphones were a little tight, but I guess they were trying to make them as noise cancelling as possible. The quality of the music they played, Pandora, the MRI tech said, was not good and sounded to me kind of like AM radio. There was even talking at one point which sort of broke whatever relaxation feel I might have had. Anyway, it was still an interesting and educational experience for me.

When I created the Surgical Serenity headphones, I specifically wanted cordless headphones because in surgery, there are so many cords that the anesthesiologist usually has to manage. This way, the headphones are completely away from the surgical procedure that’s going on and our music doesn’t interfere with anything. But in an MRI machine, there are no other people around and the patient is lying in an enclosed space so the air tube doesn’t interfere with anything.

So, lesson learned. Other people have thought about using music in other medical procedures and I’m happy about that. Now, if they can think about the fact that people who composed the music that Pandora uses need to get paid too. For that to happen, hospitals and medical facilities need to purchase a healthcare facility license and not just use a personal Pandora subscription.

I don’t have any direct connection yet with these MRI headphone manufacturers but if you do please let me know in the comments because I’d love to talk to them about using my scientifically validated, therapeutic music.

To get Surgical Serenity headphones for YOUR hospital, go to www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/hospitalheadphones.

Aug Aug 2, 2023

Surgical Playlists in the Operating Room: headphones or speakers?

By DrAlice|August 2, 2023|Preparing for Surgery Using Music|0 Comments

Woman relaxed wearing headphones before surgery

This is an exciting era in the field of Music Medicine and Music Therapy! Researchers are actively conducting studies and numerous clinical trials are underway in hospitals across the globe. While patients have always recognized the calming and healing effects of music, scientists now seek solid data to support this phenomenon.

The Age-Old Healing Power of Music

Throughout history, music has been a cherished and time-tested means to soothe both the mind and body. Its therapeutic potential is undeniable, but in today’s world, empirical evidence is crucial to substantiate music as a legitimate therapeutic modality. Anecdotal accounts, though valuable, fall short of meeting the rigorous demands of scientific scrutiny.

In order to make a well-researched decision about giving a patient personal, pre-loaded headphones, or music through speakers in the room,

You need to know:

What kind of music patients need
For how long they need this music
How the music should be delivered, i.e. through headphones or speakers in the room

The questions that I deal with frequently are:

Why should I have my own music that I chose, through headphones when the surgeon has already chosen the music he thinks is best?
Why can’t I choose the music that I want to hear during my surgery?
Why is it so important to have preloaded headphones?

In 2019 I wrote a book specifically to answer these questions. You can find it on Amazon.com in paperback or Kindle format. I also answer many of these questions on my YouTube channel. (While you’re visiting my YouTube channel, please subscribe!)

Recently a study came out showing the many benefits of music with heart surgery. Anxiety reduction was the primarily goal and the study demonstrated a significant benefit to the patients.

Read the study here.

https://studyfinds.org/music-medicine-pain-anxiety-heart-surgery/

Much of the information online today shows a patient wearing headphones. Although the patient on the left is wearing headphones that have a cord, we provide headphones that are cordless and are pre-loaded with the soothing, therapeutic playlist of YOUR choice. We understand now that individual headphones for patients are important. The personal headphones with therapeutic music create a sonic cocoon that music through speakers in a large room cannot provide.

For surgery, especially, the patient needs to be protected from conversations that slip into the subconscious and create unnecessary anxiety. So many patients report that, even under anesthesia, they hear the medical team talk about potentially negative outcomes of the surgery, or worse yet, conversations that were not related to the patient or surgery at all!

If you’re ready to order our headphones for YOUR hospital, go to www.surgicalserenitysolutions.com/hospitalheadphones.

Jun Jun 18, 2023

The importance of reviews to a company like Surgical Serenity Solutions

By DrAlice|June 18, 2023|reviews of Surgical Serenity Solutions, written reviews of Surgical Serenity|0 Comments

If you are a hospital administrator or president of a medical/medical device company, you know how important reviews are! I certainly rely on product reviews, physician reviews, and reviews of service providers.

When I first created Surgical Serenity Solutions back in 2005, (known then as Healing Music Enterprises) the internet was still pretty new and internet marketing was really just getting started for small businesses. We were mainly just focused on getting our messages out and in our case, we were trying to scour the internet for medical and surgical research that had focused on the use of music as an analgesic and an anxiolytic agent.

We were also educating medical professionals about the difference between music therapy and music medicine because most people thought the terms were interchangeable. We were trying to get our U.S. Patent approved and jumping through lots of hoops to prove that our headphones were safe in a surgical setting. All of these things were accomplished by 2009.

Then we began hearing about the importance of patient reviews and physician and hospital reviews so we set out to garner some of those.

To our delight, the positive and even glowing reviews began rolling in, many times without even asking for them! One of our first was from a physician in our city of Louisville, KY who had heard me speak at a local medical meeting and ordered the headphones for her upcoming surgery. Apparently she was concerned that she might get some flack from the surgeon or other OR staff but here’s what she told us:

Sandra Elam, MD at Lifespring Inc.

Dr Alice Cash’s earphones designed for surgery are the highest and best thing you can do for yourself if you are facing surgery. I had had a failed bowel resection (colectomy) , then an ileostomy. I was in no way prepared for those surgeries and they were terrible. Using Dr. Cash’s headphones for the third and reversal surgery was a completely different experience. The surgeon as well as the anesthesiologists were impressed, and said that it made their work easier!! I don’t know why everybody doesn’t wear them into surgery!

This was double powerful for us because Dr. Elam was speaking both as a patient and a physician!

Another patient had the problem of being slow to wake up from anesthesia after surgery. This happens more often than you might think, especially among those who are either elderly or have multiple serious health conditions. Here is was Mary Jo told us:

“In August 2014 I had gall bladder surgery. I was apprehensive since I was so slow to come out of the anesthesia during past surgeries. I never saw the inside of the recovery rooms. It took so long they just moved me on to the post-op room. I used the Surgical Serenity headphones for a couple of weeks prior to the surgery, plus before and during the surgery and recovery. Prior to the surgery, my blood pressure was lower than normal and I woke up in the recovery room for the first time ever! I highly recommend these headphones to anyone preparing to have surgery!”

May May 31, 2023

Adolescents in the Pediatric ICU: Music therapy and hand massage

By DrAlice|May 31, 2023|adolescent surgery, hand massage|0 Comments

Photo by Vladislav Anchuk on Unsplash

Adolescents are prone to anxiety under the best of circumstances. It’s a time a life that’s full of changes, some expected, some unexpected! Having to be in a pediatric ICU is definitely unexpected and the anxiety levels there are sky-high!

So I was particularly happy to see this new research study appear online this morning in my email entitled:

Impact of music therapy and hand massage in the pediatric intensive care unit on pain, fear and stress: Randomized controlled trial

In this empirical study, conducted in Turkey, the adolescents were divided into three groups.

a music group of 33 patients
a hand massage group of 33 patients
a control group of 33 patients that received the standard care

The study does not reveal what the music intervention was, but reports at the end that “Nurses may use music therapy and hand massage to manage fear and pain related to blood drawing in the PICU.”

The results were that both the music group and the hand massage group had lower pain and fear score results, based on the FACES pain scale

as well as a a pain scale called the Children’s Fear scale. The researchers also looked at blood cortisol levels. (Cortisol is a hormone. produced by the adrenal glands and found in the blood when people are under great stress.)

Here is a link to the study if you’d like to read more about it: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37230011/

I am grateful that these studies exist but it would be so helpful if the researchers would let us know the type of music they used and how it was delivered. As a colleague of mine said recently, it’s like saying “the researchers gave the patient medicine,” but not say what the medicine was or how much they gave or how often!

They also state that the “music therapy” can be delivered by nurses! Unless the nurse is also a music therapist, this is not possible. HOWEVER, the nurse can definitely deliver music medicine through pre-loaded headphones with therapeutic music chosen by a clinical musicologist.

To read more about this, go to www.SurgicalSerenitySolutions.com/patient-products.