Surgeons have tough jobs. Their work often means the difference between life and death. Supreme regimentation and meticulousness are required, as Dr. Atul Gawande outlined in his widely-read book, The Checklist Manifesto .
Besides checklists and standard practices, surgeons have also turned to an unlikely aid — music — to keep them focused and relieve occupational tension. The medical journal BMJ reported 62 to 72 percent of surgeons play music during surgery.
Research shows music packs a punch . The right tracks boost athletic performance, dull pain and improve concentration. So, do surgeons also reap benefits from musical goodness?
Medical ethicist Art Caplan thought so.
"When surgeons play the music they like, they seem to be happier or satisfied," Caplan said Wednesday on Boston Public Radio.
Caplan said artist choice shouldn't matter — anything goes, from Beyoncé to Skynyrd — as long as the surgeon's into it. "It's not like, 'Bee Gees good, Queen bad,'" Caplan said. But he hastily added: "Who would want a surgeon who listens to the Bee Gees?"
