"It made me happier, more relaxed, more enjoying what I was doing": Patients' experiences of self-selected music listening during pulmonary rehabilitation

<bold>Background:</bold> Self-selected music listening has been applied during the exercise component of pulmonary rehabilitation, but little is understood about the patients’ experiences of this adjunct therapy during a rehabilitation program. <bold>Aims:</bold> This qualitative study explored patients’ experiences of listening to individualised self-selected music during the exercise component of a pulmonary rehabilitation program. <bold>Methods:</bold> Adults with COPD who listened to self-selected music (with guidance from a registered music therapist) during an 8-week pulmonary rehabilitation program were invited to participate. Semi-structured interviews about their experience of self-selected music listening during exercise training were undertaken. Interviews were digitally recorded, with transcripts coded independently and themes identified via thematic analysis. <bold>Results:</bold> Twelve participants were interviewed with mean(SD) age of 67(11) years and FEV₁ 63.2(25.1) % pred). Four key themes emerged: 1) Self-selected music listening enabled enjoyment of exercise sessions; 2) Self-selected music listening distracted participants from physical symptoms and the time required to exercise; 3) Synchronisation occurred between music tempo and intensity of exercise performed; 4) Self-selected music listening encouraged engagement with other participants and was recommended for inclusion in future programs. <bold>Conclusions:</bold> Individualised, self-selected music listening enabled enjoyment of exercise training and distraction from symptoms when included as an adjunct therapy to pulmonary rehabilitation.