Baroque Classical Music In The Reading Room May
Improve Mood And Productivity
April 23, 2009
Baroque classical music in the reading room can help improve radiologists work
lives, potentially improving diagnostic efficiency and accuracy, according to a
study performed by researchers at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, MD,
Harbor Hospital in Baltimore, MD, and the University of Pennsylvania Health
System in Philadelphia, PA.
Eight radiologists participated in the study and rated their mood,
concentration, perceived diagnostic accuracy, productivity and work satisfaction
on a seven point scale. "The greatest positive effects were noted with
regard to mood and work satisfaction, with 63% and 50% of respondents reporting
a positive impact," said Sohaib Mohiuddin, MD, and Paras Lakhani, MD, lead
authors of the study. "No participants indicated a negative effect on mood,
perceived diagnostic accuracy, productivity or work satisfaction. Only one
participant (12.5%) indicated a negative effect of music on concentration,"
they said.
"Given the increased workload of today's radiologists, we were interested
in looking at environmental factors that could improve the work environment for
today's busy radiology reading rooms," said Dr. Mohiuddin.
"Other studies have correlated baroque classical music with improved
spatial reasoning, attentiveness and concentration and personally, I have found
that listening to music aids my concentration and interpretative
abilities," said Dr. Lakhani. "We are currently performing a larger
study with more subjects to validate these results," they said.
This study will be presented at the 2009 ARRS Annual Meeting in Boston, MA, on
Monday, April 27.
About ARRS
The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) was founded in 1900 and
is the oldest radiology society in the United States. Its monthly journal, the American
Journal of Roentgenology, began publication in 1906. Radiologists from all
over the world attend the ARRS annual meeting to participate in instructional
courses, scientific paper presentations and scientific and commercial exhibits
related to the field of radiology. The Society is named after the first Nobel
Laureate in Physics, Wilhelm Röentgen, who discovered the x-ray in 1895.
Source: American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS)
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