Abstract

While music listening interventions may help alleviate anxiety in mechanically ventilated intensive care unit patients, it is not known whether they can reduce intensive care unit costs. This commentary critically assesses an economic evaluation which compared the cost-effectiveness of a patient-directed music intervention to usual care in mechanically ventilated patients in Midwestern US intensive care units. The economic evaluation found that the patient-directed music intervention was cost-effective compared with usual care. However, this commentary highlights some potential limitations of the evaluation and factors to consider for implementation of music interventions conducted in a UK setting. Future economic evaluations using UK cost data would be valuable to assess the cost-effectiveness of music interventions in a UK setting. Future evaluations should also consider delirium and pain outcomes, in addition to anxiety outcomes, as these may also impact on the cost of intensive care unit care.