After receiving concerns about how noise negatively affected patient sleep and staff stress levels, nurses from Manhasset, N.Y,-based North Shore University Hospital created an initiative to reduce noise levels in the hospital's neurosurgical intensive care unit — and small changes led to lower noise levels, a study published in Critical Care Nurse found.
Five things to know:
1. By adjusting the times for noisy activities, the unit reduced noise levels and maintained quiet times, seeing reductions in peak noise events six months after changes were implemented.
2. The unit's staff used a decibel meter to measure noise levels on the left and right sides of the nurses' station, which many providers share. They also measured noise in front of two patient rooms near the nurses' station, one of which is near the unit's primary entrance.
3. The researchers collected data for eight days before staff received education on the initiative and six months after quiet time was implemented. The baseline results were shared with staff after the initial data was collected.
4. The unit then launched quiet time periods twice daily, from 3 to 5 a.m. and from 3 to 5 p.m. Lights were dimmed, whispering was encouraged and environmental noise was eliminated as much as possible during these designated quiet times.
5. The quiet times decreased peak noise levels after six months. The initiative also identified areas to be improved, such as installing push-plate automatic opening functions at the rear entrance to the unit for easier emergency department and operating room team access and finding a different time/space for physicians to hold teaching sessions.