Controlling pain in patients following surgeries has been effectively taken care of by a new therapy called distraction therapy. Doctors at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in the US have distracted patients with images and sounds from nature and have successfully controlled pain in patients following a painful procedure called bronchoscopy, which involves inserting the tube into the nose or the throat to see the lungs.
Pain control was improved by around 43% in those who listened to the gurgle of a brook and looked at a colourful panorama during and after the process. Encouraged by these results the doctors are suggesting that these biophilic images and sounds should be tried in other invasive procedures like interventional radiological examinations and endoscopies.The study was presented by Dr Noah Lechtzin, a postdoctorate fellow at Johns Hopkins, at the American Thoracic Society's annual meeting on 20th May. The doctors who pioneered this distraction therapy add that this is not substitute for pain medication but a way to enhance pain control.
