Authors

Mª Teresa Romero-Guerrero1, Anna Baules-Borrull1, Mª Jesús Sevillano-Rodríguez1, Alicia Padilla-Sánchez1, Josep-Oriol Casanovas-Marsal1

Position

1Enfermera/o. Servicio de Urgencias. Hospital Universitario Sant Joan de Reus. Tarragona

Contact address

Mª Teresa Romero Guerrero. Avda. Dr. Vilaseca, 9-11. 43202 Reus (Tarragona).

Contact email: terereus@hotmail.com

Abstract

Objective: to understand the noise levels existing at the Emergency Unit (ER) of a University Hospital, and to identify the main sources that generate it.
Method: a descriptive observational study. Noise measurements were conducted in the different areas of the Emergency Unit of the Hospital Universitario Sant Joan de Reus (Tarragona), between April and September, 2016, using a sound level meter that recorded the acoustic activity in decibels (dB9 in software, for its subsequent analysis and interpretation). Descriptive analysis was conducted with the statistical program SPSS version 23.0.
Results: forty-two (42) measurements were conducted. The mean (standard deviation or SD) noise in all areas of the Emergency Unit was 61.38 (4.90) dB. The mean (SD) noise in the Pediatric Emergency Unit was 58.16 (4.09) dB; and it was of 63.91 (3.23) dB in General Emergencies, 62.76 (6.92) dB in the Adult Waiting Room, 57.43 (2.74) dB in the Urgent Care Area, and 59.18 (5.67) dB in the Observation Area.
Conclusions: the noise levels measured at the Emergency Unit are high and exceed the limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The main sources generating noise were identified as the loudspeaker system, the acoustic alarms, and particularly interpersonal communication, particularly during shift changes.

Keywords:

noise; Emergency Healthcare; hospital

Versión en Español

Título:

Contaminación acústica en un servicio de urgencias hospitalarias