Impact of orally administered tramadol combined with self-selected music on adult outpatients with burns undergoing dressing change: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of music and/or tramadol on pain and anxiety in burn outpatients undergoing dressing changes.

DESIGN

Randomized controlled trial.

SETTING

Burns and Plastic Reconstruction Unit.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients (N=180) with burns on up to 10%-30% of the total body surface area (TBSA).

INTERVENTIONS

The patients were randomly allocated to 4 equal-sized groups as follows: (1) tramadol group (TG), patients received 100mg of tramadol orally 20min before the dressing change; (2) music group (MG), patients listened to self-selected music during the dressing change; (3) music-plus-tramadol group (MTG), patients received tramadol and listened to self-selected music; and (4) control group (CG), patients received a routine dressing change only. All patients underwent the interventions once per day for 2days.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

McGill Pain Questionnaire Short Form (MPQ-SF) (primary outcome), McGill Pain Persian version of Burn Specific Pain Anxiety Scale (BSPAS) (primary outcome), and heart rate (HR) and overall patient satisfaction (secondary outcomes).

RESULTS

The results showed that music-plus-tramadol group (MTG) had better outcomes with respect to pain and anxiety management during dressing changes.

CONCLUSIONS

In comparison with music or tramadol alone, the integration of music and tramadol offers a secure and favorable treatment choice to relieve pain and anxiety, ultimately improving the satisfaction levels of burn outpatients during dressing changes.