Decreasing Noise Level in Our NICU

Abstract

Although the efficacy of the program was significantly limited by an increase in general activity, it raised staff awareness and had important effects reflected by the significant decrease in mean noise level after standardization and the participant's comments.

The Effectiveness of Measures Aimed at Noise Reduction in an Intensive Care Unit

“…Kahn et al (1998) showed that staff conversations with peaks in noise level (Lmax) over 80 dB-A were reduced from 1,963 to 976 following a 3-week-long behavior modification training. Another study demonstrated that behavior modification training is effective in reducing noise levels in hospitals (Milette, 2010;Xie, Kang, & Mills, 2009). In this study, repair of equipment and physical space rearrangement along with behavior modification training and warning signs ("Please be silent in intensive care unit") were effective in reducing noise levels (e.g., 56 dB-A).…”

Incubator-based Sound Attenuation: Active Noise Control In A Simulated Clinical Environment

“…A mechanism to reduce the unnecessary noise exposure of NICU infants could have widespread application. Device alarms are consistently found to be a source of excessive noise in NICUs, [20,21,26]. Patient monitor alarms are an especially frequent contributor to the noise in NICUs, with an average of 177 alarms/patient/day [27].…”

“…Attempts to improve the acoustic environment of the NICU have largely been unsuccessful, whether through education efforts [26] or sound-activated warning lights [30]. Single family rooms are being increasingly adopted in NICU design and have shown improvements in many outcomes for preterm infants [31].…”

The “Sound of Silence” in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit—Listening to Speech and Music Inside an Incubator

“…Premature babies are constantly exposed to light and noise, and even if the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) (1997) suggests that the noise level should be less than or equal to 45 dB during the day and 35 dB during the night (American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 1997, p. 724), several studies have shown that the noise level within a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is much higher than recommended (Bess et al, 1979;Surenthiran et al, 2003;Altuncu et al, 2009;Berg et al, 2010;Matook et al, 2010;Milette, 2010;Salandin et al, 2011).…”

“…Studies have shown that exposure to intense and sustained sound outside the dB and frequency range as normally heard by the fetus is harmful and may be related to stress responses, alteration in physiological stability, sleep deprivation, autonomic changes, alteration in endocrine and metabolic response, and hearing deficits (Krueger et al, 2005;Milette, 2010).…”