Music in the waiting room as a strategy for humanizing Primary Health Care

Abstract

Introduction: Brazil’s National Humanization Policy within the Unified Health System (SUS) promotes welcoming practices aimed at improving the quality of care, with waiting rooms representing a strategic setting for the implementation of humanizing interventions. In this context, the use of music emerges as a simple and potentially effective strategy to modulate the waiting experience. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of music in waiting rooms as a welcoming strategy in Primary Health Care Units (Unidades Básicas de Saúde - UBS). Methods: This applied, exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory study adopted a mixed-methods approach and was conducted in four UBS in the municipality of Passos, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Forty adult users participated, equally allocated to a group exposed to instrumental classical music in the waiting room for approximately 20-30 minutes and a control group without music. Data collection included semi-structured interviews and systematic observation. Qualitative data were analyzed using Bardin’s content analysis framework, while quantitative data were organized into tables and charts. Results: The sample was predominantly female (85%), aged 40–50 years (32.5%), and of low income (92.5%). Waiting time was identified as the main source of dissatisfaction in both groups; however, users exposed to music reported greater acceptance, resilience, and neutrality toward delays, as well as more positive perceptions of the environment, associated with relaxation, calmness, and a sense of being welcomed. In contrast, the non-music group predominantly reported impatience, tension, and monotony during the waiting period, associated with the lack of environmental stimuli and an intensified perception of time. Conclusion: The use of music in waiting rooms enhanced the subjective waiting experience by promoting well-being and a sense of being welcomed, and proved to be a simple, low-cost, and potentially replicable intervention for the humanization of care in Primary Health Care.