Music therapy is provided in many settings, with a variety of individuals, to improve quality of life. Music therapy can be used in medical settings to help patients reduce pain perception and anxiety. Pain and anxiety after a surgery can be difficult for anyone to deal with, but it can be especially difficult for adolescents (and their parents) who undergo painful orthopedic surgery. This presentation will describe an interdisciplinary research study to determine the effectiveness of specific music therapy interventions on adolescents’ pain and anxiety after spinal fusion surgery for scoliosis. Due to the outcomes of this study, music therapy is now becoming an important clinical intervention for post-operative pain at The University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

Speakers: Mary Adamek (Clinical Professor, Music), Kirsten Nelson (Clinical Music Therapist, The Stead Family Children’s Hospital), and Charmaine Kleiber (Associate Professor Emeritus, Nursing). 

Light entrees, snacks, and refreshments will be available for purchase from the Stanley Café.