Relationship between noise perception, vocal fatigue, and work-related stress among health workers in a hospital in Bogotá, Colombia

Abstract

To characterize the relationship between noise perception, vocal fatigue, and work-related stress among health workers. Cross sectional with the participation of 79 participants. Data regarding noise levels, voice functioning, and stress were collected through validated questionaries. Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) were used to evaluate the associations between the study variables. Our results show that more than 60% of health workers reported that noise conditions were high (47% considered that it did not affect their job performance, and 22% reported that it did). Concerning vocal fatigue, on average, health workers scored 8.30 for factor 1, 2.52 for factor 2, and 5.09 for factor 3, which suggests that participants were not feeling their voices very tired (factor 1), but they have physical discomfort associated with voicing (factor 2) and experienced improvement of symptoms after recovery (factor 3). Regarding stress levels, around 80% of participating health workers reported very high or high stress levels (61% for very high and 18% for high). Health workers are exposed to noise levels that affect their communication and mental health. Health care facilities should strive to keep noise conditions at its lowest levels to keep healthy conditions for communication and mental health.