Background music can, suggests a new study, cause problems during medical surgery.
A new paper in the Journal of Advanced Nursing examines ‘Music and communication in the operating theatre’. It notes that: “According to the cited sources, music is played in 53-72% of surgical operations performed.” And concludes: “Music played in the operating theatre can interfere with team communication, yet is seldom recognized as a potential safety hazard.”
The paper’s abstract doesn’t specify which music tracks are the most popular. Or which might be appropriate, or inappropriate. Please comment below with your suggestions. Here’s ours…
Note: One of the co-authors of the paper, Dr. Roger Kneebone, professor of surgical education at Imperial College London, recently appeared onstage (in a Nominative Determinism capacity) at the Ig Nobel EuroTour show, London, 2015.