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Noise levels in physicians' offices
1University of Utah, Salt Lake City.
Ear and Hearing
|October 1, 1990
Summary
Physicians increasingly use handheld devices for hearing screenings. However, ambient noise levels in examination rooms vary significantly by specialty, necessitating individual site monitoring for accurate auditory screening.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Environmental Health
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Handheld auditory screening devices are becoming more common in physician practices.
- Effective hearing screening requires controlled acoustic environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To measure ambient noise levels in physician examination rooms.
- To identify noise variations across different medical specialties.
Main Methods:
- Noise measurements (Ln, Leq, Lmax, octave band data) were taken in 20 physician offices.
- Data was categorized by medical specialty: pediatrics, internal medicine, family practice, and otolaryngology.
Main Results:
- Ambient noise levels differed across various physician office specialties.
- Specific noise profiles were identified for each specialty type.
Conclusions:
- Ambient noise in examination rooms can impact the accuracy of hearing screenings.
- Physician offices should individually assess noise levels before implementing auditory screening.