Noise at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and inside the incubator

Abstract

The goal was to identify sound pressure level (SPL) at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and inside the incubator of a teaching hospital of a public university from São Paulo -SP, Brazil. SPL inside the NICU and the incubator were measured using four dosimeters in January/2010. SPL at the NICU varied from 52.6 dBA to 80.4 dBA and inside the incubator, from 45.4 dBA to 79.1 dBA. SPL both at the NICU and inside the incubator are above the recommended values, but levels were higher at the NICU than inside the incubator.Although there are some specific factors related to SPL inside the incubator, the NICU and incubator acoustic features present a system: an increase/decrease in SPL at the NICU usually tends to increase/decrease SPL inside the incubator. The study points to the need for simultaneous monitoring of SPL at the NICU and inside the incubator. Evidenciou-se que tanto o NPS da UTIN como o do interior da incubadora estão acima dos recomendados, sendo mais altos na UTIN do que na incubadora. Embora haja alguns fatores específicos relacionados ao NPS no interior da incubadora, perfis acústicos da UTIN e da incubadora são como sistema: elevação/redução do NPS da UTIN, geralmente, tende a elevar/reduzir o NPS no interior da incubadora. Portanto, pode-se concluir que o presente estudo aponta para a importância do monitoramento simultâneo dos NPS da UTIN e do interior da incubadora.Descritores: Ruído; Terapia Intensiva Neonatal; Enfermagem Neonatal; Humanização da Assistência; Recém-Nascido. Ruido en la Unidad de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal y en el interior de la incubadoraSe tuvo por objetivo identificar el nivel de presión sonora (NPS) de la Unidad de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal (UTIN) y del interior de la incubadora de un hospital escuela de una universidad pública de Sao Paulo-SP, Brasil. El NPS de la UTIN y de la incubadora fueron obtenidos por cuatro dosímetros en enero de 2010. El NPS de la UTIN varió entre 52,6 dBA y 80,4 dBA y el del interior de la incubadora fue de 45,4dBA a 79,1dBA. Tanto el NPS de la UTIN como el del interior de la incubadora son mayores que lo que recomendado, siendo más altos en la UTIN que en la incubadora. A pesar de que existen algunos factores específicos relacionados al NPS en el interior de la incubadora, los perfiles acústicos de la UTIN y de la incubadora son como un sistema, es decir: la elevación/reducción del NPS de la UTIN generalmente tiende a elevar/reducir el NPS en el interior de la incubadora.Se concluye que muy importante la monitorización simultánea del NPS de la UTIN y del interior de la incubadora.Descriptores: Ruido; Cuidado Intensivo Neonatal; Enfermería Neonatal; Humanización de la Atención.

Conhecimento e percepção dos profissionais a respeito do ruído na unidade neonatal

“…Studies have found evidence for high levels of sound pressure in NICU and inside the incubators (6,8,13) and have indicated the deleterious eff ects on the health of neonates, health care professional and family, although there is s ll a scarcity of studies in the Brazilian and interna onal Nursing literature on the subject here researched.…”

“…The long-term eff ects of noise may be shown in the form of diffi cul es in hearing, thinking, conversing, reading, wri ng, spelling or calcula ng, aff ec ng the child´s social, emo onal, intellectual and linguis c development (8) .…”

The sound of potency: An observation study of nurses’ approach to sound in a pediatric intensive care unit

“…This also results in staff having to talk louder. [2] Research on nurses' understanding of and approaches towards the sound sources are, however, limited. Children admitted to a PICU is a small and vulnerable group that need sleep and rest to grow and develop.…”

“…[3] This needs to be considered, as caring means meeting children's needs, relieving their pain, avoiding suffering and promoting growth and health. [11] High noise levels have been shown to increase stress in neonates [2] that lead to frustration or anxiety. [7] In fact, high sound levels can be the difference between life and death for a critically ill child due to the risk of high blood pressure, stimulated by stress deriving from high sound levels or other negative stimulation.…”

“…Unfortunately, sound is a low priority issue among staff, despite extensive research highlighting sound levels negative effect on children's rest and recovery. Pinheiro et al [2] argues that a reduction of noise levels probably would make staff more sensitive to sound and the negative impact on children could be reduced. Even though most audio sources in the PICU are difficult to eliminate, it is possible to influence how nurses choose to react to them.…”