Music is being used to help patients relax before operations in some hospital wards in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province.
Three patients had fallen asleep assisted by calming music being played before being operated on at the Guangdong General Hospital in Guangdong Province.
"Music can take my mind off my disease. I think about something else, in a way that is relaxing," said Li Hua who had undergone surgery to remove a tumor at the hospital.
Music is now available at the operation rooms of several hospitals in Guangzhou and can be controlled by doctors and patients alike.
Before an operation, patients can become extremely nervous, with high blood pressure and a racing heart beat. In such instances, doctors often prescribe more medicine, but this can have adverse effects on the patient, said Chang Houchan, chief nurse of the hospital.
Pleasant music helps the patients relax and forget their fears about the operation, Chang added.
Music can also help doctors perform better. "I will calm down while listening to Mozart. It can also relax the patient's muscles, which helps the surgery go smoothly," said Chen Jianguo, surgery of the hospital.
However, doctors may be distracted by the music during surgeries and therefore propose to play music before and after an operation, a netizen named Star Ling posted online.
The Guangdong General Hospital started "music therapy" in 2002.
