Application of Music Training on Enhancing Auscultation Ability in Nursing Undergraduates: A Pilot Study

摘要

Art is playing a more important role in nursing education as the two disciplines interconnect. Music has been used in western countries to improve the ability of medical and nursing students' clinical skills in performing physical examination. But in China, very little literature focuses on music. The aim of this research is to explore the effect of music training in improving students' auscultation ability in the course of physical examination for nursing undergraduates. Second year nursing undergrraduates (n=125) were allocated to either the intervention group or the control group randomly. The control group (n=62) received the traditional training, the intervention group (n=63) received the traditional teaching, plus music training consisted of pitch, rhythm, timing, intensity, tenth, masking into the physical examination course. Both groups were evaluated on their ability to interpret 5 sounds (2 heart sounds, 2 lung sounds and 1 bowel sound) before the course and 15 sounds (6 heart sounds, 5 lung sounds, 2 bowel sounds and 1 mixed sound) after the course. The control group overall score was no significant differences compared to the intervention group which in the heart sounds, lung sounds and bowel sound before the course. After the course, the intervention group score of listening test was significant higher than control group which in the heart sounds, lung sounds and mixed sound. The results showed that the application of music training can improve the students' auscultation ability to a certain extent.