SynthesisFrontiers in psychiatry2026
Music intervention for reducing anxiety in patients undergoing CT or MRI examinations: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are essential diagnostic tools but often provoke significant anxiety in patients, which may compromise image quality and patient cooperation. Non-pharmacological interventions such as music have been proposed as feasible alternatives to anxiolytic medications. However, the evidence supporting music interventions in radiology settings has not been systematically synthesized. Objective: This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of music intervention on anxiety in patients undergoing CT or MRI. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and CINAHL from inception to March 1, 2026. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating music interventions versus control conditions (e.g., usual care or headphones only) in patients undergoing CT or MRI were included. Outcomes included anxiety [State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), or Child Anxiety Metacognition Scale (CAM-S)], heart rate (HR), and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO Results: Six RCTs (n=972 patients) were included. Music significantly reduced post-intervention anxiety compared with control (SMD = -1.94, 95% CI: -3.59 to -0.28, Conclusion: Pooled estimates suggest a reduction in anxiety favoring music, but the extreme heterogeneity (I² = 98.5%) indicates that the studies do not share a common effect size; therefore, the pooled estimate may not represent a clinically meaningful common effect. Music appears safe and low-cost, but conclusions should be drawn cautiously. Future high-quality RCTs with standardized protocols are needed to optimize implementation strategies. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO, identifier CRD420261356881.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.