Background: To study the effects of listening to a Thai traditional music program on acute pain alleviation among patients during the first 48 hours after open abdominal surgery.

Objective: A cross over research design in adult patients’ aged 18-60 years at Siriraj Hospital.

Methods: The sample was selected by purposive sampling based on inclusion criteria and assigned into the following two groups by simple random sampling: the group receiving the Thai traditional music program (experimental group) and the group receiving routine care (control group). This study employed a cross over design with 44 samples in a private surgical ward at Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok. Pain was assessed before and after the intervention. Data were collected by the following three sets of instruments: 1) the demographic and treatment background form; 2) the Thai Short - Form McGill Pain Questionnaire with the vital sign form and 3) the post abdominal surgery early ambulation form.

Results: The patients in the experimental group had lower mean pain descriptor scores, mean present pain intensity scores and mean Visual Analog Scale scores after the Thai traditional music program than before the intervention at 48 hours after abdominal surgery with statistical significance (t = 14.11, t = 17.41 and t = 16.47) (p < .001), respectively. When compared between groups, the patients in the experimental group had lower mean pain descriptor scores, mean present pain intensity scores and mean Visual Analog Scale scores than the control group at 48 hours with statistical significance (F = 138.71, F = 170 and F = 298.97) (p < .001), respectively. Furthermore, on the first and second postoperative days as well as the sum of both days, the experimental group was also found to have better early ambulation mean scores than the control group with statistical significance (F = 10.67, p < .002, F = 41.36, p < .001, F = 44.47, p < .001), respectively.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that a Thai traditional music program should be prescribed for patients who have undergone open abdominal surgery as a part of pain management to optimize the effectiveness of pain control and improve early ambulation and the quality of postoperative pain control after open abdominal surgery.