Effect of Music Intervention on Basal Cardiovascular Parameters and Stress Levels in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients

Background: COVID-19 patients in hospitals are susceptible to varying degrees of stress conditions: anxiety, fear, and depression. Music intervention is a cutting-edge method of treating patients in hospitals. This study aims at the effects of music intervention on basal cardiovascular parameters and stress levels in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, as well as the viability of introducing music intervention on-site with these patients. Objective: The study’s objective is to evaluate the impact of music intervention in hospitalized Covid-19 patients’ basal cardiovascular parameters and stress levels. Methods: Sixty hospitalized COVID-19 patients participated in the interventional study, which was conducted at AIIMS in Bhopal, India. They were equally divided into 2 groups: 30 patients in the intervention group and 30 patients for control. Basal cardiovascular parameters such as HR, SBP, and DBP, and stress parameters like serum cortisol and IL-1 levels were measured both before and after music intervention. Data was assembled and entered using Microsoft Excel, and it was analyzed using licensed statistical software, SPSS version 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results: In the post-music intervention group, HR (90.14±14.35 vs. 84.43±11.29, p<0.000), BP systolic (139.78±17.67 vs. 133.46±16.78, p<0.000), and BP diastolic (93.14±13.77 vs. 88.56±12.36, p<0.000), showed a significant decrease as compared to the pre-music intervention group. Serum cortisol (23.7±6.45 vs.19.65±6.19 mcg/dl, p<0.000) and IL-1 (139.12±95.26 vs. 72.89±66.43, p<0.000) also showed a significant decrease in the post-music intervention group. Whereas in the control group, HR (88.20±13.94 vs. 88.07±10.64, p=0.877), BP systolic (137.53±22.59 vs. 136.33±19.69, p=0.349), BP diastolic (90.80±14.74 vs. 89.67±13.34, p=0.196), serum cortisol (22.14±7.13 to 21.96±6.12 mcg/dl, p=0.934), and IL-1 (142.17±124.92 to 141.76±122.79, p=0.468) all demonstrated a decline in the control group over the pre parameters, but was not significant. Conclusion: The study reveals that music intervention for hospitalized Covid-19 patients significantly improves basal cardiovascular parameters and stress levels. The findings demonstrate that it is feasible to provide music intervention to Covid-19 patients on-site as an inextricably linked non-pharmacological intervention.