Comparison of Smartphone-Based Music and Film Distraction Techniques on Postoperative Pain in Patients Undergoing Elective Surgery.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness of smartphone-based distraction techniques (music and film) in reducing acute postoperative pain in adults undergoing elective surgery.

DESIGN

Randomized, single-blind, two-arm active-comparator clinical trial without a nonintervention control group.

METHODS

A total of 104 adults scheduled for elective surgery at Ali ibn Abi Talib Hospital (Rafsanjan, Iran) were randomized to receive either smartphone-based music or film distraction. One hundred participants completed the intervention and postoperative assessments and were included in the analysis. Pain intensity was assessed using the visual analog scale before and immediately after the intervention; physiological parameters were monitored. Analgesic requests were tracked for 24 hours postintervention.

RESULTS

Pain intensity decreased significantly in both groups (p = .0001), with median visual analog scale scores declining from 6 (IQR 5-7) preintervention to 2 (IQR 1-3) postintervention. Physiological parameters (blood pressure and heart rate) remained stable. During the 24-hour follow-up, 16 participants (32.7%) in the music group and 21 (41.2%) in the film group did not request analgesic medication.

CONCLUSIONS

Smartphone-delivered music and film distraction were associated with reduced postoperative pain and were well tolerated in this elective-surgery sample, with no meaningful differences between modalities.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Smartphone-based distraction (music or film) may be used as a feasible, low-cost adjunct to routine postoperative nursing care to support patient-centered pain management.