Surgeons don't just listen to music for the pleasure of it; clinical data shows music helps improve efficiency in the operating room. A 2015 Aesthetic Surgery Journal study finds surgeons who listened to their preferred music during surgery are able to close wounds more effectively and in less time. Listening to preferred music decreased repair time by 8 percent for all surgery residents in the study. Senior residents resulted in a 10 percent decrease in repair time when listening to preferred music. The repair quality was also better in the music group, at a score of 3.3 compared to a score of 3.1 for the non-music group.
Jonathan Kaplan, MD, a plastic surgeon at San Francisco-based Pacific Heights Surgery Center, is a proponent of listening to music when performing in the operating room.
Dr. Kaplan recommends the following albums to listen to in the OR:
Konvicted - Akon
Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Sound of Revenge – Chamillionaire
"While I haven't done a study to show an objective effect on my OR skills," he said. "I know that softer music during the opening phases of the operation allows for greater concentration and heavier music while closing the skin promotes a sense of celebration during the conclusion of another successful operation!"