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Immersive Soundscape Favorably Impacts Patient Experience During Office-Based Vascular Procedures: Early Results From A Randomized Controlled Trial
Ina Soh, MD, MS, Marin Chavez, MD, Austin Pierce, MD, Victor Davila, MD, William Stone, MD, Claire Yee, PhD, Andrew Meltzer, MD, MBA, Ellen Meltzer, MD, MS.
Mayo Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
OBJECTIVES: Spatial sound (Spatial Audio, Scottsdale, AZ) is an audio technology that creates immersive soundscapes (IS) that simulate both real-world and virtual environments. While this technology has been used to enhance experience in a variety of recreational and commercial environments, healthcare application has yet to be validated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of IS on patient experience during common office-based vascular procedures: endovenous radiofrequency ablations (RFA) and port-a-cath removals (PR) in an IRB-approved randomized controlled trial.
METHODS: Patients undergoing RFA and PR in an office-based procedure suite were randomized to the IS experience vs. control at the time of procedure scheduling. Patient experience was assessed quantitatively using self-reported visual analog scores for pain, anxiety, and stress at pre-determined procedural steps: pre-procedure, during local anesthesia administration, and procedure completion. Concurrent physiologic measures included heart rate and blood pressure. Qualitative assessment of IS experience was performed using narrative survey response. In addition, staff experience was assessed using a dedicated staff survey instrument. Informed consent was obtained from all participants.
RESULTS: 48 consecutive patients (23 IS, 25 control) agreed to randomization. There were no differences in procedure type (46% RFA, 54% PR), median age [61.5 (46.0, 70.0)], sex (81% female) or race (83% white). Patients exposed to IS reported reduced pain, stress, and anxiety during the pre-procedure assessment, intraprocedurally, and upon procedure completion. Post-procedural stress was significantly reduced with IS [6.2+/-10.2 vs. 21.9+/-23.5; P<0.01, Table 1] 95.2% patients randomized to IS indicated that spatial audio positively impacted their experience, and 100% would recommend IS to other patients undergoing outpatient procedures. IS did not impact staff self-reported stress and there were no differences in environmental distraction rating.
CONCLUSIONS: Early results of this RCT suggest favorable results with IS in the outpatient vascular procedure setting. While only post-procedure self-reported stress was significantly lower with IS, there is obvious suggestion of improved patient experience based on current quantitative and qualitative data. Ongoing work will better refine the applicability of IS in the vascular procedure suite.
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