How music is being used to help relax patients at Rosemere Cancer Centre

Inside a radiotherapy treatment room at Rosemere Cancer Centre

A new initiative is using music to help patients relax while undergoing treatment at Rosemere Cancer Centre.

Audio equipment has been placed in two radiotherapy scanner rooms at the RPH facility thanks to a donation from a former patient via Rosemere Cancer Foundation.

The charity spent £159.96 on iPod docking stations after therapeutic radiographer Abs Esfahani asked for help, explaining that music was used as a tool to improve patient experience.

Abs said: “Music is an important element within a scanner room.

“When a patient is in the room, the machine makes a substantial amount of noise and having music on in the background helps patients relax, allowing them to concentrate on something else rather than solely hearing the sound of the machine.

“A patient could be in the room for up to 15 to 30 minutes depending on their type of treatment and having some music on during this time helps them greatly.”

The two scanner rooms treat up to 40 patients a day over 11 hours of constant usage.

Rosemere Cancer Foundation’s chief officer, Dan Hill, said: “The money for the iPod docking stations was donated by a grateful former patient. She made her donation to thank staff for the care she had received. It was a lovely gesture, which the radiotherapy team very much appreciate and it is now also going to benefit hundreds of current and future patients.”

What do you think of the idea of using music to help relax patients? Let us know in the comments.