Noise Pollution in Hospitals and its Impacts on the Health Care Community and Patients

Abstract

Noise pollution in hospitals is known to affect the health of patients, but it also impacts the staff. Most of a hospital’s environment is affected by the sounds of equipment and machines with high sound pressure levels (SPL). We directed the study of both quantitative aspects to reduce SPL and qualitative research which considers the soundscapes of hospitals and people's perceptions. The main goal of this study was to do an assessment of the noise pollution in hospitals in Brazil and USA to investigate the effects on the health care community and patients. The objectives were: 1) Implement a sound mapping, day and night, in different units of the hospital; 2) Characterize the variations of the SPL of the various noise sources in the hospital's care units; 3) Develop and apply a qualitative assessment based on the opinion of users of the hospital in relation to the noise perceived by them; 4) Establish/propose an analytical-experimental model based on correlations of objective data and subjective data. This study identified metrics that can be applied as an intervention plan and prevention to reduce noise pollution in hospitals in Brazil and in the USA that could be implemented by other institutions, locally and internationally.