By reducing the noise level in and around patient rooms, patients experience overall greater satisfaction with their visit, as well as a positive impact on their healing. According to Press Ganey, noisy environments can lead to disturbed sleep patterns, at a minimum, and ultimately increase morbidity levels and decrease the ability to fight infections. Not only is a noisy environment dangerous to the healing process, it’s also harmful to staff. Noisy environments cause increased stress levels and medical errors; research shows links between auditory distraction and clinical mistakes. Unfortunately, many people become accustomed to such auditory distractions that can lead to such errors.
Did You Know?
The average noise levels in hospitals have risen from 57 decibels to 72 decibels during the day and from 42 to 60 decibels at night (on average). The World Health Organization recommends noise levels in patient care areas not exceed 35 decibels during the day and 30 at night!
Common Sounds and Their Decibel Levels:
- Whisper – 10 dB
- Quiet library – 40 dB
- Normal conversation – 60dB
- Garbage disposal – 80 dB
- Motorcycle – 100 dB
So during the day, most patient care areas are only slightly less noise than a garbage disposal!
Tips for Reducing Noise:
- Close doors to patient rooms
- Add white-noise machines to patient rooms
- Schedule noisy housekeeping tasks for the least disruptive times during the day
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