Abstract
This study was initiated to investigate noise levels in general pediatric facilities. Although occupational noise limits of 85dBA for LAeq,8h (daily noise exposure) and 140dBC for LCpeak (peak sound level) have proven to prevent hearing loss, even low levels of continuous noise (45dBA and above) can cause adverse health effects (ISO = International Organization for Standardization, A = Austrian VOLV). The sound level measurements of LAeq (equivalent sound level) and LCpeak were conducted with a decibel meter in the examination rooms (EXR) and waiting rooms (WR) of 10 general pediatric practices and outpatient clinics in the city of Vienna, Austria. LAeq,8h was calculated from LAeq, and independent variables with a potential influence on noise levels were also examined. In EXR, the random sample consisted of 5 to 11 measuring periods per facility (mean: 7.1 ± 1.9) with a total duration between 43.85 and 98.45 min. (total: 10:19:04). With LAeq ranging from 67.2 to 80.2dBA, specific recommended limits were exceeded considerably (ISO: 45dBA; A: 50dBA). In WR, the random sample comprised 5 to 18 measurements per facility (mean: 13.7 ± 5.0) with a total duration ranging from 25 to 90 min. (total: 11:25:00). The values for LAeq were between 60.6dBA and 67.0dBA. All of these significantly exceeded recommended limits of 55dBA (ISO) and 5 out of 10 exceeded 65dBA (A). LCpeak reached 116.1dBC in WR and 114.1dBC in EXR. The highest calculated daily noise exposure of pediatricians (LAeq,8h) was 79dBA. Although no significantly increased risk for hearing loss can be concluded from our findings, it must be assumed that noise levels in general pediatrics have the potential to cause stress and associated health issues. Further research is necessary to foster the recognition of noise-related health impairments of pediatric staff as occupational diseases.
Highlights
Noise levels in general pediatric facilities patients represent a potential source of remarkable noise, which is why many investigations have been conducted at PICUs [6,7,8,9,10], and other facilities treating young patients [11,12,13,14,15]
This cross-sectional observational study was conducted at 10 general pediatric facilities throughout the city of Vienna, Austria (Table 2)
Sex and age of the examined pediatric patients were gathered, numbers of parents and children present in the waiting rooms were counted and the time needed for the examination was measured
Summary
It has been demonstrated over the last decades that healthcare personnel are exposed to considerable noise [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15]. Several studies have addressed noise levels and exposure at specialized non-pediatric medical departments [1,2,3,4,5]. Noise levels and exposure of the staff at general pediatric facilities have not been addressed so far. This circumstance provided the starting point for our research efforts, as many procedures in general pediatrics (e.g. vaccinations) involve significant noise levels
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