The effect of music on acute confusion in older adults after hip or knee surgery.

The purpose of this randomized controlled study was to determine the effects of music listening on acute confusion that is common in older adults after hip or knee surgery. A control group demonstrated greater decreases in cognition on the first postoperative day compared to a music-listening group (F = 8.448, p = .009). In the 3-day postoperative period, the cognitive status of the control group improved; on the third postoperative day, there was no significant difference between the two groups (F = 3.52, p = .075). The music-listening group had higher scores on the NEECHAM Acute Confusion Scale across the 3-day postoperative period (F = 7.28, p = .014).