Possible stressors in a neonatal intensive care unit at a university hospital

To investigate possible stressors to which newborns are exposed in the neonatal intensive care unit.

The levels of continuous noise were checked by a decibel meter positioned near the ear of the newborn, brightness was observed by a light meter positioned in the incubator in front of the newborn's eyes, and temperature was checked through the incubator display. The evaluations were performed in three periods of the day, with ten measurements taken at one-minute intervals during each shift for the subsequent statistical analysis.

All shifts showed noise above acceptable levels. Morning (p < 0.001), afternoon (p < 0.05) and night (p < 0.001) showed a significant increase compared to the control. The brightness significantly exceeded the normal range (p < 0.01) in the morning. We observed that only one of the incubators was within the normal temperature limits.

The noise, brightness and temperature intensities were not in accordance with regulatory standards and thus might be possible stressors to newborns.