Kenneth Borick, a recent BSN graduate, has successfully published his undergraduate honors research in the Journal of Holistic Nursing. His study explored nurses’ attitudes toward incorporating music in patient care.

Although not uncommon for undergraduate students to engage in research, having their work published is rarer. Borick, who graduated in May and now works as a registered nurse at UF Health Shands, demonstrated determination and dedication throughout the project, according to Assistant Professor Ellen Terry, PhD, who mentored him.

“He worked incredibly hard, which inspired me to put in the same effort to help bring his vision to life,” Terry said.

For Borick, the personal connections to the project are what drove him.

“A ton of work went into it. Music has always been very important to me, and it was a unique opportunity to integrate my interests into nursing,” he said.

The research began as a questionnaire focused on quantitative responses, asking nurses about their use of music in patient care and their perceptions of its effectiveness. Initial reviews suggested that continuing the study might be unnecessary, as the majority of nurses already favored using music when working with patients.

In fact, nearly 92% of nurses believed music moderately improved patients’ moods, and 93% felt it helped reduce anxiety during treatment. Additionally, 89% of those surveyed had used music with patients, and almost 77% regularly recommended it.

“Most people would have stopped there,” Terry noted. “But with support from other faculty members, Kenneth expanded the study to include more qualitative questions. That’s when things got interesting.”

By probing deeper into the barriers to implementing music therapy in patient care, the study uncovered a variety of challenges. These included limited access to streaming services and patients’ unfamiliarity with technology, which hindered nurses from maximizing the potential benefits of music within the clinical setting.

Despite these obstacles, nurses consistently tried to use music to comfort patients. Borick’s research offers data-driven recommendations that could help health care facilities overcome these barriers and improve the integration of music into patient care.

“Our research highlights the enthusiasm many nurses have for using music in patient care, while also identifying key barriers they face,” Borick said. “I hope this leads to hospitals providing more equipment that enables nurses to implement music in their care.”