Colonoscopy, regarded as one of the most reliable tests to detect early stages of cancerous growth in the distal parts of the large intestine and thereby treat colon cancers successfully, is often a procedure associated with a certain amount of discomfort. Most patients who would benefit much by going through this procedure to rule out or confirm the doubts of the physician, call off an appointment in fear of the discomfort they may have to go through.
In their attempt to tackle the fear and anxiety of their patients doctors at Tempe University in Philadelphia have come out with a brilliant idea. Recent studies they conducted under the guidance of Dr Benjamin Krevsky M.D., revealed that allowing patients to listen to their favorite tunes during a colonoscopy procedure considerably relaxed them and also reduced the amount of sedative they needed to keep them comfortable during the procedure.Their findings are synchronous with previous research in the medical field, which have shown that patients relax considerably with music of their choice before any surgical procedure.
In the studies conducted patients were asked to bring their favorite music and with ear buds taped to each participant, music was played with audibility adjusted to only the patient.
Results showed that those who listened to music required considerably lesser doses of sedatives than those who didn’t, without compromising on comfort level.
These results are considered clinically significant by Dr Krevsky who notes that lesser use of sedatives is always beneficial to patients in the long run. With the added advantage of having no side effects this could surely be a breakthrough for more colonoscopies to ensure the swansong of colonic cancers that many are battling with.
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