Effect of music therapy on relieving the pain and distress of children undergoing venipuncture: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Venipuncture is a routine procedure in pediatrics that often elicits pain and triggers adverse emotional responses. The stress, both psychological and physiological, that accompanies this procedure can significantly impair pediatric patients' compliance with medical regimens. To mitigate these effects, music therapy as a non-pharmacological approach known for its safety has been increasingly employed in pediatric settings. There is empirical evidence supporting the efficacy of music therapy in reducing procedural pain and in easing negative emotions experienced by pediatric patients. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of music therapy in managing pain, anxiety and distress in pediatric patients undergoing venipuncture procedures. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, CINAHL, EBSCO and FMRS databases for articles published up to December 20, 2024. Two reviewers independently selected studies and extracted articles that met strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. Quality assessments of the included studies were performed according to the Cochrane risk assessment tool, data analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: A total of 16 studies including 657 participants in the intervention group and 707 participants in the control group were selected for the final analysis. The results demonstrated a significant difference between the music groups and control groups for children's self-reported pain (standard mean difference SMD = -0.42, 95 % CI -0.58 to -0.27, P < 0.05), observer-reported pain (SMD = -0.52, 95 % CI -0.87 to -0.17, P < 0.05) and distress (SMD = -0.70, 95 % CI -1.27 to -0.13, P = 0.02). However, no significant difference was observed in anxiety (SMD = -0.10, 95 % CI -0.32 to 0.13, P = 0.41). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric patients undergoing venipuncture procedures would benefit from music interventions for pain and distress relief. However, no statistically significant effect was found on anxiety. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42024509600.