Effect of noise on auditory processing in the operating room

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Surgical Communication
• Environmental Acoustics

Background:

• Effective communication is vital in the operating room (OR).
• High background noise from equipment, staff, and music can impede communication.
• Communication barriers in the OR pose risks to patients and staff.

Purpose of the Study:

• To simulate OR listening conditions.
• To evaluate the impact of operating room noise on auditory function.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 15 surgeons with normal hearing.
• Speech in Noise Test-Revised used in four simulated OR conditions (quiet, mask noise, OR noise, OR noise with music).
• Auditory performance assessed in tasked and untasked situations.

Main Results:

• Auditory performance was significantly worse when surgeons were tasked.
• Surgeons performed poorly in music conditions compared to quiet or OR noise.
• Performance declined with low-predictability sentences in all noise conditions.

Conclusions:

• Operating room noise degrades auditory processing, particularly with music.
• Unpredictable, critical information is harder to process in noisy ORs.
• Reducing ambient OR noise is recommended to prevent miscommunication.