Music in the operating room: There is more than meets the ears

For many, music being played in the OR makes some of the more mundane components of an operation less tedious, camouflages the irritating sound of the Yankauer suction, and can seemingly lift the spirits of the surgical team.3 One study found that an upbeat cadence of music being played in the OR actually led to improved quality and more efficient surgical closures.4 Even if the aforementioned “benefits” of music being played in the OR are more conjecture than fact, the reality is that it is a broadly accepted cultural practice.5 The word “cultural” was used specifically there because I believe that the music played often reflects the demographics of the attending surgeon. With this enriching experience of being exposed to and educated by competent and accomplished faculty that come from historically minoritized groups, it could serve as another mechanism to improve institutional inclusivity shortcomings and make majority “allyship” more natural and routine for the next generation of physicians. Continuing to identify and be mindful of some of the less conspicuous benefits of DEI efforts is the point of this offering, and hopefully provides a thoughtful example of how intentionality in this domain can have cultural impact on our learners both inside and beyond the operating theater.Declaration of competing interest This manuscript has not been published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.