Perceived Noise Sources and Their Association with Nurses' Health and Work Performance in Intensive Care Units: A...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Environmental Science
• Occupational Health Psychology
• Nursing Research

Background:

• Healthcare environments present significant occupational stressors, with noise pollution being a primary concern.
• Intensive care units (ICUs) are particularly noisy, affecting both patients and nursing staff.
• Unsafe noise levels in ICUs can negatively impact health, recovery, and job performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify noise sources and their detrimental effects from the perspective of ICU nurses.
• To investigate the relationship between noise perception, nurse demographics, and job-related factors.
• To analyze the impact of noise on subjective, emotional, physiological, and work performance outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 100 ICU nurses across three Croatian hospitals.
• Data collection utilized a validated three-part questionnaire.
• Statistical analysis included descriptive and inferential methods.

Main Results:

• Monitor and ventilator alarms were identified as the most significant internal noise sources.
• Noise perception varied significantly based on institution type, ICU characteristics, and bed count (p < 0.05).
• Significant associations were observed between noise exposure and all four outcome domains.

Conclusions:

• Noise in ICUs constitutes a substantial health risk for both patients and nurses.
• Impaired well-being and reduced work performance are direct consequences of ICU noise exposure.
• Prioritizing and implementing effective noise reduction strategies in critical care environments is essential.