When you walk into this major regional hospital, you could be forgiven for thinking you're at an uptown bar as piano tunes ricochet off the sterile walls.

Key points: A group of doctors lobbied for the grand piano to be brought to the hospital

A group of doctors lobbied for the grand piano to be brought to the hospital Staff at the hospital were adamant that the piano was available to anyone at any time

Staff at the hospital were adamant that the piano was available to anyone at any time Doctors say the piano helps patients, staff and visitors to the hospital

The doctors, nurses, patients and visitors are finding escape in the keys of a grand piano strategically placed in the foyer of the Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH).

The Australian Doctor's Orchestra donated the 50-year-old instrument to the hospital after a group of doctors lobbied for it some months ago.

Musician and Sunshine Coast doctor Michael Lam was the "primary instigator".

"I found it was really a shame that we had lots of this beautiful space but we didn't have any opportunities available for people to play music here, so we thought we would change that," Dr Lam said.

"It brings a certain light to the space of the hospital which can be a place for a lot of suffering and sadness.

"I have lots of colleagues messaging me when one of the bosses sits down and plays for about 10 minutes … it is really nice to see people who are so focussed on their clinical work also engaging in this cultural side of things."

As they stop by to listen to the piano, Samantha Miles and Dr Jennifer Williams say the piano injects culture into the hospital atmosphere. ( ABC Sunshine Coast: Kylie Bartholomew )

Dr Michael Lam said the benefit of music therapy was well-documented.

"We know that it helps significantly in the fields of anxiety relief, people suffering from eating disorders and as a distraction care therapy for palliative care patients," he said.

And in a stressful, hospital environment, the benefit extended beyond patients and visitors.

"We know very well that depression and anxiety and the rates of self-harm and suicide are almost double that of the normal population in doctors and we know that staff wellbeing initiatives are really important in order to keep that number as low as possible," Dr Lam said.

"We do still have problems with managing that stress and suffering at work … but we can have people sitting here playing the piano and brightening up their day a little."

Dr Michael Lam, left, says there is a surprising number of staff who acquired a tertiary level qualification in music before pursuing a career in medicine. ( ABC Sunshine Coast: Kylie Bartholomew )

According to information from Queensland Health, there were "many" hospitals which had a piano, but the instrument was in a specific unit such as palliative care or rehabilitation, not in the main foyer.

Dr Lam was adamant that this piano was to be accessible to all — at any time.

"I find that people are not usually as willing to play on the piano because it's not in a public place," he said.

"I've not really seen pianos in publicly accessible places in hospitals in Australia."

Dr Lam said throughout his placements across Australia, the number of doctors with a formal music qualification may come as a surprise.

"Music and medicine are driven by a very similar work ethic and to succeed in one is to give yourself the skills to succeed in the other."

'Good for the soul'

Nurse Helen Rodgers says now there's a piano in the hospital, "we're definitely going to form a hospital choir". ( ABC Sunshine Coast: Kylie Bartholomew )

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 45 seconds 45 s Listen to nurse Helen Rodgers play the piano Download 716.3 KB

Experienced pianist and nurse unit manager Helen Rodgers is one of many staff who lets her fingers loose on the keys when time permits.

"It's really good for the soul, it makes you feel really invigorated," Ms Rodgers said.

"We come down here of a lunchtime and my staff come and they say, 'It's just such a good feeling', those endorphins are just running wild by the time we go back.

Visitors Stephen and Margaret Dukes are among many who appreciate the new grand piano at Sunshine Coast University Hospital. ( ABC Sunshine Coast: Kylie Bartholomew )

"The other day a patient who was waiting for her husband in oncology came up to me and said, 'I heard you playing Send in the Clowns and I cried'."

As the music played, passers-by paused en route to their next destination.

Patient Margaret Dukes and son Stephen said it was a welcome addition to their day.

"It's great — it livens the place up," Ms Dukes said.

Janice Drager, who was at the hospital for a relative's appointment, stood listening to the piano with her daughter-in-law's toddler who was fixated on the musicians.

"Her ears pricked up … I don't come from here but music anywhere soothes people, so I think it's a really good thing."

Positive impact on job

Dr Clinton Roddick, a paediatric senior house officer, said the piano had a positive influence on staff members' jobs.

"It allows us to re-focus and remind ourselves that there's some joy outside work," Mr Roddick said.

"And then go back and probably do a better job just because we've had that little moment of joy and being able to do something which reminds us why we do this work."

Dr Clinton Roddick plays the piano for the first time since its arrival while Dr Christopher Thang says the music relaxes the mood. ( ABC Sunshine Coast: Kylie Bartholomew )

Dr Christopher Thang, an intern in the Emergency Department who plays the piano but also enjoys listening to others at the keys, agreed.

"It makes me more relaxed and a good reprieve from the day, certainly makes that break a lot better," Dr Thang said.

"Open piano's always a welcome addition to any environment and in the very sterile environment we have in a hospital, it lightens the mood and you've got patients sitting out here waiting for their appointments, often a bit stressed, often a bit bored.

"If you have this piano in place it helps to relax the mood."

A first at work

Esther Colavecchio had only ever played piano at home. Never at a workplace.

"It's a bit nerve-racking to start with because I'm not used to playing in front of an audience but it's uplifting, makes you feel more positive and like you've done something good," Ms Colavecchio said.

And that was how many others at the hospital saw it, stopping their day, even momentarily, to listen.

Lyn Trembath and Esther Colavecchio are just some of the SCUH staff who enjoy the sound of the piano in their work day. ( ABC Sunshine Coast: Kylie Bartholomew )

Lyn Trembath said the joy from the instrument had trickled into Emergency Response where the staff could not even hear it but were kept in the loop when someone was on the keys.

"I work near the girls on front reception and they can hear it and they'll ring and say, 'They're playing the piano' and we'll run up," Ms Trembath said.

"They can only play for small amounts of time because they're too busy.

"Listen to it, it's just beautiful, we love it."