Abstract
A lot of sound can be heard in a hospital. The Ministry of Environment recommends that noise be kept below 50 dBA during the day and below 40 dBA at night to maintain a calm environment inside a medical facility. However, the noise in general wards typically exceeds these standards; therefore, it is necessary to adjust these sounds to foster patients’ recuperation. We examined whether the noise generated by nurses in a simulated ward changes with walking speed and the presence or absence of luggage. Sounds generated by nurses include footsteps and pass-by sound from objects (e.g., wagon, stretchers, wheelchairs, bedside tables, overhead tables, beds, IV poles.). Walking speed was classified into three types: slow (0.5 m/s), normal (1 m/s), and fast (2 m/s). Sound (dBA) was measured by measuring the pass-by sound generated when moving in a straight distance (four meters) in the corridor of a simulated ward. Objects were also compared for their pass-by sound generated with and without a load. Results revealed that normal and fast walking speeds generated louder sounds than did the slow speed (the volume of slow, normal, and fast speeds were 37.0 dBA, 39.3 dBA, and 38.7 dBA, respectively). The pass-by sound of objects increased in volume in proportion to nurses’ walking speed. The pass-by sound of wagons and stretchers was significantly lower when they had (vs. did not have) a load; however, the reverse was true for wheelchairs carrying patient dummies. The sound of footsteps did not change per walking speed. Decreasing walking speed may thus lead to noise modification. Nurses’ awareness of adjusting their walking speed per object use may prevent noise pollution. This study was conducted to obtain basic data regarding the wards’ sound environment. Future studies should consider the occurrence of the sound in clinical settings.
Highlights
IntroductionA review of the literature from 1950 to 2005 by Busch-Vishniac et al [1] reported that there was a clear trend of increasing noise levels in hospitals since 1960
We examined whether the noise generated by nurses in a simulated ward changes with walking speed and the presence or absence of luggage
The sound volume of the footsteps ranged from 35.8 - 40.6 dBA at slow walking speed, 37.6 - 44.7 dBA at normal walking speed, and 36.3 - 40.9 dBA at fast walking speed (Figure 2)
Summary
A review of the literature from 1950 to 2005 by Busch-Vishniac et al [1] reported that there was a clear trend of increasing noise levels in hospitals since 1960. The average noise level during the day was 0.38 dBA per year, while the average noise level at night was 0.42 dBA per year. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the noise level at a hospital should be less than 35 dBA during the day and less than 30 dBA at night [2]. There are reports stating that the sound in hospitals has exceeded these standard values [3] [4], which contributes to prolonged hospital stay [3] and increased stress on hospital staff [4]. We believe that regulating the sound in hospitals is necessary for the sake of patients and hospital staff
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