Auditory and non-auditory effects of noise on health

Noise is pervasive in everyday life and can cause both auditory and non-auditory health eff ects. Noise-induced hearing loss remains highly prevalent in occupational settings, and is increasingly caused by social noise exposure (eg, through personal music players). Our understanding of molecular mechanisms involved in noise-induced haircell and nerve damage has substantially increased, and preventive and therapeutic drugs will probably become available within 10 years. Evidence of the non-auditory eff ects of environmental noise exposure on public health is growing. Observational and experimental studies have shown that noise exposure leads to annoyance, disturbs sleep and causes daytime sleepiness, aff ects patient outcomes and staff performance in hospitals, increases the occurrence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, and impairs cognitive performance in schoolchildren. In this Review, we stress the importance of adequate noise prevention and mitigation strategies for public health.

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Auditory and non-auditory eff ects of noise on health

Alarm fatigue is a national problem and the number one medical device technology hazard in 2012. The problem of alarm desensitization is multifaceted and related to a high false alarm rate, poor positive predictive value, lack of alarm standardization, and the number of alarming medical devices in hospitals today. This integrative review synthesizes research and non-research findings published between 1/1/2000 and 10/1/2011 using The Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice model. Seventy-two articles were included. Research evidence was organized into five main themes: excessive alarms and effects on staff; nurse's response to alarms; alarm sounds and audibility; technology to reduce false alarms; and alarm notification systems. Non-research evidence was divided into two main themes: strategies to reduce alarm desensitization, and alarm priority and notification systems. Evidence-based practice recommendations and gaps in research are summarized.

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Monitor alarm fatigue: an integrative review.

There is increasing concern about the effects of pile driving and other anthropogenic (human-generated) sound on fishes. Although there is a growing body of reports examining this issue, little of the work is found in the peer-reviewed literature. This review critically examines both the peer-reviewed and 'grey' literature, with the goal of determining what is known and not known about effects on fish. A companion piece provides an analysis of the available data and applies it to estimate noise exposure criteria for pile driving and other impulsive sounds. The critical literature review concludes that very little is known about effects of pile driving and other anthropogenic sounds on fishes, and that it is not yet possible to extrapolate from one experiment to other signal parameters of the same sound, to other types of sounds, to other effects, or to other species.

The effects of anthropogenic sources of sound on fishes.

Introduction Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care and Patient Safety Human Factors and Patient Safety: Continuing Challenges Macroergonomics and Systems A Historical Perspective and Overview of Macroergonomics Work System Design in Health Care Sociotechnical System Design in Health Care Clinical Microsystems in Health Care: The Role of Human Factors in Shaping the Microsystem The Artichoke Systems Approach for Identifying the Why of Error Organizational Learning in Health Care The Relationship Between Physician Professionalism and Health Care Systems Change Collaborative Initiatives for Patient Safety Job and Organizational Design Job Stress in Health Care Workers Effect of Workplace Stress on Patient Outcomes Safety Culture in Health Care Burnout in Health Care Human Factors of Transition of Care Reliability Enhancement and Demise at Back Bay Medical Center's Children's Hospital The Relation Between Teamwork and Patient Safety Physical Ergonomics Human Factors in Hospital Safety Design Physical Environment in Health Care Physical Ergonomics in Health Care Evidence-Based Interventions for Patient Care Ergonomics Ergonomics: Noise and Alarms in Health Care An Ergonomic Dilemma Technology Human Factors Engineering and the Design of Medical Devices Patient Safety and Technology: A Two-Edged Sword New Technology Implementation in Health Care Robotics in Health Care: HF Issues in Surgery Human Computer Interaction in Health Care Re-Presenting Reality: The Human Factors of Health Care Information Human Error Behind Human Error: Taming Complexity to Improve Patient Safety Human Error Reduction Strategies in Health Care Medical Failure Taxonomies Human Factors of Health Care Reporting Systems Communicating About Unexpected Outcomes and Errors Human Factors and Ergonomics Methodologies Cognitive Work Analysis in Health Care Human Factors Risk Management in Medical Products Work Systems and Process Analysis in Health Care Video Analysis in Health Care Usability Evaluation in Health Care Assessing Safety Culture and Climate in Health Care Incident Analysis in Health Care Human Factors and Ergonomics Interventions Ergonomics Programs and Effective Interventions Quality Improvement in Health Care Work Organization Interventions in Health Care Teamwork Training for Patient Safety: Best Practices and Guiding Principles Tilting the Culture in Health Care: Using Cultural Strengths to Transform Organizations Specific Applications Human Factors and Ergonomics in Intensive Care A Process-Oriented Approach Human Factors and Ergonomics in the Emergency Department Human Factors and Ergonomics in Pediatrics Human Factors and Ergonomics in Home Care Human Factors and Ergonomics in Nursing Home Care Human Factors and Ergonomics in Primary Care

Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care and Patient Safety (Human Factors and Ergonomics Series) (Human Factors and Ergonomics Series)

This research investigated differences in task performance and perception under six non-time-varying ventilation-type background noise spectra with differing tonality. The results were related to five indoor noise criteria systems: noise criteria, balanced noise criteria, room criteria, room criteria mark II, and the A-weighted equivalent sound pressure level (LAeq). These criteria systems are commonly used in the U.S. building industry, but concerns exist over whether they are appropriate for all noise situations. Thirty test subjects completed three types of performance tasks (typing, reasoning, and math) and answered questions about their perception of the indoor environment under each noise condition. Results showed that performance scores did not change significantly across the six noise conditions, but there were differences in subjective perception. For example, perception trends for tonality, annoyance, and distraction changed based on the frequency and prominence of discrete tones in noise. Howev...

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Implications of Human Performance and Perception under Tonal Noise Conditions on Indoor Noise Criteria

Noise Pollution in Hospitals: Impacts on Staff

cular arousal, extended hospital stay, and increased dosages of pain medication due to excessive noise levels have also been documented in patient studies. Decreased healing is another potential concern as a few studies on animals have revealed that noise exposure may slow wound healing. Furthermore, increased sound absorption that tends to make speech more intelligible and lower background noise levels has been linked to improved sleep in an experimental study, a reduction in cardiovascular arousals, and decreased incidence of re-hospitalization. Speech interference and increased medical errors are two additional potentially hazardous effects of hospital noise that could have obvious negative implications for patient safety. Indeed, there is a growing body of research on pharmaceutical name recognition in noise similar to that found in hospitals. The impact of the hospital soundscape on staff members is also a concern. Statistics indicate that 14 million people are employed in the U.S. healthcare industry, with 4.9 million of them working specifically in hospitals. Therefore, the quality of this occupational environment affects a large segment of the population. There is some evidence that overall levels of hospital noise may contribute to stress and burnout, a serious concern given the current nursing shortage throughout the U.S. Other studies suggest that the acoustical environment contributes to decreased short-term memory, decreased mental efficiency, and decreased ability to aurally distinguish critical physiological functions such as heart and lung sounds. Some studies indicate that orthopedic staff may be at risk for noise-induced hearing loss. Increased sound absorption has been shown to correlate with improvement in the staff psychosocial environment and improved perception of the soundscape (i.e., increased satisfaction with the overall noise level).

Evaluating the Hospital Soundscape

Objective:This study investigates the perception of nurses about their lighting environment at medical–surgical hospital units in order to understand areas of improvement for lighting at these units.Background:The bulk of the research about nurses and lighting is focused on nighttime nursing, exploring the disruptions of nurses’ circadian rhythm and maintaining alertness. The understanding of nurses’ perception about lighting and its impact on nurses’ task performance and patient examination remains imprecise.Methods:This study used an online survey to ask a set of questions about lighting in medical–surgical units at five key locations including centralized nurse stations, decentralized nurse stations (DCNS), patient bedsides, patient bathrooms, and corridors from 393 survey participants. It then explored the survey findings in more depth through conducting focus groups with eight volunteer nurses.Results:Lighting conditions at patient besides and DCNSs were significantly less desirable for nurses compar...

Lighting and Nurses at Medical–Surgical Units Impact of Lighting Conditions on Nurses’ Performance and Satisfaction

This retrospective, exploratory study examined 8,366 patient responses to surveys on patient satisfaction and patient room spatial layout in a large academic teaching hospital consisting of 17 nursing units and 382 patient rooms. This study included four spatial measures: average distance to the nurse station, room handedness, location of bed, and location of first encounter-and explored their statistical associations with two types of patient satisfaction surveys (Hospital Consumer Assessment of the Healthcare Provider and Systems and third party). The study had two phases: a preliminary study of 3,751 patient respondents in a limited diagnosis-related group (DRG) over 5 years and a general study of 4,615 patient respondents with a broader range of DRG's over 2 different years from the preliminary study. Findings indicated statistically significant relationships between all four spatial layout measures and specific survey questions pertaining to perception of nursing, physician, individual care, and overall room environment. Results emphasize the importance of hospital design-and spatial layout in particular-on patient satisfaction.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1937586718782163

Erica E. Ryherd

Papers

Implications of Human Performance and Perception under Tonal Noise Conditions on Indoor Noise Criteria

Noise Pollution in Hospitals: Impacts on Staff

Evaluating the Hospital Soundscape

Lighting and Nurses at Medical–Surgical Units Impact of Lighting Conditions on Nurses’ Performance and Satisfaction

Exploring the Relationships Between Patient Room Layout and Patient Satisfaction.